Rich Man, Poor Man
by toastedCroissants
Summary: Yumi's a scholarship student, a.k.a the 'charity case.' Sadly, that also makes her an open target for her wealthy and prejudiced female classmates. But when prom approaches, the most anticipated event of the year, what else hardships will ensue? U/Y and a bit J/A.
1. Prologue: High Society

**Hey guys! So, this is my new story, and I am super pumped for it! After much debating with myself, I've decided to post this for you all. If you haven't read my profile already, this is a spin-off of 'Prom and Prejudice,' written by Elizabeth Eulberg. It has the same-ish atmosphere and plot of the book, but our favorite Code Lyoko characters get to play the roles! I hope you enjoy this light-hearted story. It's going to be a fun ride! :) This is mostly of how Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, Jeremie, and Aelita would respond to the problems they face.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Code Lyoko or Prom and Prejudice. All rights are given to MoonScoop and to Elizabeth Eulberg and her publishers. (: Gotta give them some credit! These people are like Gods. LOL.**

**P.S: If you're expecting this story to be all about superficial things, you're wrong. This story will have a moral to it, I promise all of you. ((:**

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_'You don't want money to make you a social freak where you can only hang out with rich people'_

-Graham Norton

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Prologue: High Society

The butterflies residing in Yumi's stomach transformed into wasps as the plane departed from the gates of the Tokyo International Airport.

Her gaze hardened as she watched the island nation she called home fade below her before disappearing completely into the thick cover of clouds. Relaxing into her seat, she took time for her mind to wrap around the horrors she set herself up for.

Lyoko Academy, the prestigious high school with the best teachers, connections, and resources... but not necessarily the best people. Her first semester was transformed into a parallel universe to hell because of her classmates' taunts, pranks, and patronization.

Why did those merciless girls choose her as their permanent target, you ask?

Yumi was a scholarship student. A 'charity case,' as they were known as. The only reason why she was able to afford to even go to the most expensive and academic-rigorous academy was that she was enrolled into the Arts and Music program, where her dancing talent would shine above all the others. That earned her the free pass.

The scholarship students before her were never as ridiculed as her. In fact, they were even tolerated and fit well in the society of high class people. It was when one fateful night of one fateful year that whole hierarchy of school rose up to its high standing point. Prom was the night.

Back in the day when scholarship students were actually accepted into the society present in Lyoko Academy...

One of the 'charity cases' were able to catch the eye of the most sought after boy up at Kadic Academy, the neighboring prestigious school for boys, thus being asked out to prom by him. Little did she know how much it mattered to pick the right dress from the right store -more so, the right designer. It was an unspoken rule to pick a couture dress from one of the most well-known designers of the world, but no, she just had to break it. That night, she showed up at prom in a dress from...

Macy's. Oh, 'THE HORROR!' Please.

By then, the 'charity cases' were tolerated. But this was pushing it way over the limits. The school board insisted on dropping the whole scholarship program all together, but the fact that they would help boost their academic and elective reputation ruled out everything. They had no choice but to keep it.

From then on, the scholarship students couldn't even last a full year at Lyoko or Kadic Academy due to all the hostility aimed at them. Yumi knows. Why, she broke down in tears by the end of the first week.

On her way to orientation, she even met the faces of three 'fellow' high society girls. Unfortunately, they thought it would be fun to play a trick on her. One of them had a cup of hot coffee in hand. They bluntly splashed it in her poor naive face. Yumi ended up being late to her first class that day. She even suffered some first-degree burns.

After that, the pranks they played on her were less noticeable. They replaced her face lotion with melted butter (now that would have caused massive breakouts). Luckily, she was able to smell it before any of it was applied. Secondly, they put crushed up laxatives in her punch at one of their formals. That, she wasn't able to prevent. She was on the toilet all night. Thirdly, they pushed her into the koi pond in the courtyard, which made her smelly throughout the rest of her classes.

But no. No matter how hard they tried, they will _not_ scare her away. She was determined to have a good second semester, despite those good-for-nothing, spoiled brats.

She just had to be more careful, that's all.

Yumi took deep breaths to calm herself.

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**Author's Note: So how was that? Like it? Hate it? Let me know! (: I had so much fun writing this, I can't even express it. I'm so excited guys! My mind is exploding with ideas! Oh, and I have nothing against Macy's. It's my favorite place to grab clothes (and probably the only place I shop regularly). LOL. ((: I hope you all like this!**


	2. Long-Lost Crush

**Hey guys! If you didn't catch on from the previous chapter, I will now be putting quotes at the beginning of every chapter. Of course, they will at least be remotely related to the content of the chapter. (: This is purely just for fun, because anyway, this story is going to be lighthearted and fun! :) I want to add action into this story.. I'll be thinking about it.. Probably some mini fight scenes? Hmm.. Well, let the chapter proceed!**

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_'Distance never separates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start feeling sad, because I miss you, I remind myself how lucky I am to have someone so special to miss.'_

-Mimi

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Chapter 1: Long-Lost Crush

At least one person was there to welcome Yumi once she entered the dorm.

"Yumi!" exclaimed her one and only friend (besides the other 'charity case,' Emily Leduke), Aelita Schaeffer. Like mostly everyone else, she had the money to buy at least seven houses; her father was one of the most well known investors to the school. She had beautiful pink hair and a body people would kill for, plus baby soft skin which was purely natural (all the other girls had expensive facials, their nose fixed, and/or a brazilian wax). And, if it weren't enough, she was one of the sweetest people Yumi had ever met, despite the other pompous snobby jerks that were expected to at least rub off a bit of their attitude on her. In other words, she wasn't prejudiced.

Yumi swore that God or at least _someone_ was looking out for her as the faculty and staff of Lyoko Academy were organizing dorms.

Once Yumi settled and the two took some time discussing their separate winter break expeditions, Aelita pulled out three dresses, obviously to ask Yumi for some advice. "Which one, Yumi?" she asked with genuine need for help.

That's when Yumi's stomach dropped; they have _another_ formal taking place tonight, mostly to welcome returning students who spent the first semester studying abroad. She totally forgot.

And as usual, Aelita was again fretting over what to wear, completely ignoring the fact that her Japanese friend was certain that she would look gorgeous in any one of them. That was another nice quality about Aelita.

She had no idea how drop-dead gorgeous she was.

"Any one would be fine, really Aelita," Yumi mumbled, plopping herself atop her mattress. "You'll look stunning."

A pout formed upon her sharp elfin features as she shoved them back into their armoire, clearly ignoring Yumi's useless input. She then began searching through it again, as if she thought of a completely other dress she would want to wear.

Yumi rose an eyebrow with suspicion. Aelita would always put thought into what she wore, but she would never go this far. "What's got you all nervous today?" Yumi asked. "It's just another pointless reception."

Aelita seemed to have paused her scrounging. That was when she emerged from the depths of the beautiful armoire with a beautiful black cocktail dress in hand, still on its hanger. Turning around to face Yumi, Yumi could barely make out her cheeks reddening. "H-here!" Aelita squeaked with a light chuckle, hurling the dress upon her friend's lap. "Try this on!"

Yumi looked down on the taffeta dress with confusion. Then, the thought hit her like it was completely obvious. "It's Jeremie, isn't it?" From what Aelita had told her, she and Jeremie became fast friends before he left for London to study his first semester at some Engineering and Technology class. She had obviously grew some feelings for him, but she kept them at bay since they were going to be separated for hundreds of miles. He is _clearly_ coming back to France today to study at Kadic, the school for boys across the street.

Aelita turned away in embarrassment, trying to hide her blush since her short hair couldn't do it for her. The thought of seeing Jeremie again at the reception after three months of separation made her nervous.

Yumi scrunched her eyebrows with compassion. "Hey," she began, walking up to the pinkette to place her hands atop her bare shoulders. "You shouldn't be so nervous. Jeremie will be totally happy to see you. Why, he probably is running around looking for you now."

Aelita turned her head to face Yumi's tender face. The blush began to fade, but slowly. "Y-you really think so?" she asked with a hopeful face. "He probably has millions of other girls chasing after him already." She waved it off with her hand nonchalantly, like she was trying hard to dispel the possibility of her and Jeremie ever being together.

"Are you kidding? You'll look gorgeous tonight. He'll be _drooling_."

Aelita scoffed, like she didn't believe in Yumi's compliments. That's sweet, modest Aelita for you. "Try on your dress," she said, trying to change the subject. "It'll fit you really well."

Yumi was halfway through zipping up the dress when Milly, Aelita's little sister, bursted into the room. That's Milly for you: inconsiderate and always rude. But she was still naive and young. She had bright red hair which was a bit darker than Aelita's bright pink, tied into two pigtails.

Milly flopped onto Aelita's bed and averted her eyes to Yumi, who just finished sealing the dress. The black contrasted well with her unblemished and porcelain skin, though the redhead didn't feel the same way. "_That's_ what're going to wear?" she said with obvious disdain. "I'm sorry Yumi, you can always borrow from Aelita, but you can't _possibly_ think you'll work them like her."

Aelita shot Milly a threatful glare. "Milly!" she scolded, throwing a hairbrush in her direction. The redhead dodged it with fits of laughter. "You shouldn't be so rude to Yumi! She has no choice but to borrow from me; she isn't.. fortunate like me _or_ you to have designer dresses at her fingertips to wear, okay? And _I_ think she looks gorgeous."

Obeying her older sister, Milly's mouth stayed shut as the two friends continued getting ready. Once they were finished, an apparent pout formed on her face. "Why can't I come, Aelita?" she whined, slamming her fists upon the bed.

"The reception is for upperclassmen only," Aelita chided, thoughts of Jeremie coming to her mind again. Reddening, she then said, "You're too young."

Milly stuck a tongue out at Aelita, though the pinkette remained undeterred. Crossing her arms, she then placed a hand on her chest dramatically and said in a mocking tone, "Oh, Jeremie Belpois, how I missed you so!" She then fell back upon the bed, emitting a thud. She was clearly imitating Aelita.

Aelita's face turned beet red. "_Out_!" she screeched, pointing her finger towards the door. Laughing maniacally, Milly got off the bed and bolted for the exit, apparently satisfied that she got to push her sister's buttons. Aelita shut the door behind her, anger clearly evident on her face. Clenching her fists, she took a deep breath and began adjusting her necklace nervously.

Yumi's fists were pressed hard against her lips; they were failing to keep back her itch to fall into Milly's echoing fits of laughter. It was until Aelita turned to her sheepishly and grinned when she knew she got the permission.

Aelita, having given up, sighed and said, "Alright, you can laugh. I'll admit, it is pretty funny."

So, she did.

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**Author's Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed that! :) I certainly had fun writing it. Feel free to review guys! :))**


	3. The Reception

**Hey guys! Wow, I didn't expect this story to be so successful! Well, I'm updating two stories at a time today, and it feels great! I hope you guys like this; it sets things up for the plot that is sure to occur. Well, let the chapter proceed! :) Thanks for all the lovely reviews. You guys are great!**

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"Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery."

-J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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Chapter 2: The Reception

Standing outside of Allard's hall was a bit unnerving. Yumi refused to face what horrors may lay behind those doors: hot tea, crystal chandeliers, and beautiful rich girls that would love to use the first two as weapons against her. She glanced towards Aelita with a pleading face, only to be looked back with a reassuring smile... as _if_ there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

Yumi fiddled with the edges of her dress in annoyance, the taffeta creating a distracting symphony of rustles. She peered down at it with scowl. She appreciated the dress, really, but thinking of all the spills that would surely occur was enough to make her feel bad. Directing her gaze towards her friend, Yumi began, "Um, Aelita, thank you, but I don't think I can wear this dress; I just can't stand to ruin another one."

Aelita creased her eyebrows, as if to tell Yumi that she wasn't letting her escape. Not this time. "Don't be silly, Yumi, I have plenty." The seriousness then instantly evaporated from her features and was replaced by a grin. She gingerly took her hands. "And you promised me you'll come! You'll have fun tonight, I can assure you."

Yumi doubted it. She made a vow just before she arrived at Lyoko Academy that she will avoid or ignore any bad presences (all the girls except for Emily and Aelita); no one could accept her as a scholarship student. And knowing the guys from Kadic, engaging in conversation with them is like your mind asking for a death wish. The usual discussion would consist of him asking the first question -a question usually reserved for _wealthy_ people. Questions such as "what funds do you invest in?" or "how much income do your parents receive?" It could be offending at times, much less annoying. Yumi thought that wearing a dress like this would only mislead people concerning her wealth. Some of them, surprisingly, would even settle with just ogling her chest with lust before moving on to the next girl. Why, with all the money they had, Yumi expected them to at least have _some_ class.

Before Yumi could even think up of a clever rebuttal, Aelita was already tugging her arm through the door which led to the grandeur of the reception hall. The lights instantly blinded her, slightly unsettling her. The room consisted of rich mahogany floors (and ceilings) and stained-glass windows which reflected the light being cast by the glass chandeliers. Looking to her right, she saw Aelita's eyes sparkling with pleasure. Yumi, well, she couldn't be less surprised. Her face stayed completely void of expression.

"So beautiful..." Aelita trailed off. "And to think this is only a casual gathering!"

Yumi looked at her pink friend with newfound shock.

_Casual?!_

"Oh, there's Jeremie!" Aelita exclaimed, her face beginning to flush.

And surely enough, there he was. Yumi followed her gaze to find a handsome blonde with thick rimmed specs, comfortably chatting with his large group of friends about whatever it is rich people talk about. Truth to be told, her Japanese friend was surprised. Aelita swore that he was different from the other guys, though all Yumi could see was another rich, pompous jerk that went to Kadic.

What _really_ caught Yumi's attention, more so _who_, was the man standing next to Jeremie. He was much less social than his blonde companion; he was more of a background presence. His hair was a dark shade of brown, his shaggy bangs spiked dramatically and swept to the side, giving him the casual and surprisingly attractive 'I don't care look.' He was dressed in varying tones of green and black, and an expression of apparent boredom was plastered across his face. He stood there stiffly without saying a word, and looking at him closely, you could tell his jaw was tightly clenched, like he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Not that Yumi was staring. She blushed instantly at the realization. Clearing her throat, she then asked out of curiosity, "Who's the guy standing next to Jeremie?" He was mysterious, and he looked like a person not up for conversation. He seemed quiet, shy even. And it seemed like he didn't like this party.

Well, that's something they have in common. Yumi didn't know if she should feel relieved.

Aelita gave her a knowing grin. "That's Ulrich. Ulrich Stern. Him and Jeremie are _really_ close."

Despite his surprisingly good looks, Yumi blurted out, "What's wrong with him?"

She shot her a condescending look. "Nothing," Aelita answered with a laugh. "He's always like that. He could be grouchy, but he's really great."

Yumi didn't believe Aelita's description of Ulrich. He didn't seem like a very pleasant person to be around. Besides, the pinkette was irreproachable; she wouldn't say anything bad about anyone, even if they did something absolutely horrible towards her, such at making her drink laxatives, for example. Not that anyone would want to.

Jeremie was too busy talking with his companions to even notice Aelita. But it wasn't his fault. Grabbing Yumi's hand, the pinkette said, "C'mon, let's go and get you two met. You'll love him, I promise."

Aelita was nervous at first, but seeing the blonde sent her comfortable feels. She was ready. But before they could even take a step, someone else was already walking towards her to stop her dead in her tracks.

"Aelita, dear!" she called in a high pitched, yet refined tone.

The pinkette turned to find a girl with flowing locks of raven hair, wearing a beautiful red dress which was completely backless. She engulfed the pinkette into a friendly hug, completely ignoring Yumi's defiled presence. The girl then proceeded with giving Aelita quick air kisses on the cheek, then flipped her hair like one of those supermodels in those hair shampoo commercials. _Pure_ high society, that girl is.

"Hello, Sissi," Aelita greeted warmly, giving her a cordial smile. "How was London?"

Sissi waved her hand, like it was nothing. "It was _fabulous_."

"That's great to hear." Aelita then gestured towards her friend. "This is Yumi, a dear friend of mine." As if to confirm that, Yumi gave a light wave along with a nice friendly smile, hoping that at least _someone_ will accept her. Maybe this girl was it.

"Hello, Yumi, it is such a _pleasure_ meeting you!" Much to her relief, Sissi gave a nice smile back, and Yumi even received a few air kisses of her own. Once they were well acquainted with each other, Sissi then launched the question. "Where have _you_ vacationed?"

Yumi wanted to smack her forehead with the palm of her hand, punishing herself for her idiocy. Of course. It's _always_ these questions. Is there anyone around here that _doesn't_ care about money?! Like she needed to answer, Yumi then said simply, "In Japan."

"Oh?" Sissi said with pure astonishment, raising a groomed eyebrow. Giving off one of those unnaturally white smiles that had to have been achieved by thousands of whitening strips, she then said, "How.. _exotic_."

She _clearly_ didn't understand.

Yumi then gave an indifferent shrug. "Well, actually, it's my hometown. So it's nothing unusual. I barely leave the continent."

Sissi instantly seemed to have lost interest. She wrinkled her nose to show it, as if she could smell the patheity. As if she was in a hurry, the rich miss then grasped Aelita's dainty hands, and said quickly, "Well, it's _great_ seeing you again, Aelita. Ciao!"

And with a curt wave of her french manicure, she was off, her heels clacking behind her and her silk dress swaying with her sashays. She left without even directing a goodbye towards Yumi, but she didn't care. "I can't believe that that's Jeremie's sister," Yumi fumed. She detested Sissi, and she showed it, tightly clenching her fists. With her aggravating habit of exaggerating a word in every sentence she spoke, and with her pomposity, it mixed to form a dreadful combination.

"_Step_ sister," Aelita corrected. "And trust me Yumi, Jeremie is nothing like her."

"You mean her surname isn't Belpois? Sissi Belpois?"

Aelita gave one of those light chuckles Yumi was just too familiar with. "No," she said. "It's Sissi _Delmas_."

Yumi nodded slowly, mouthing the word '_oh_.'

"Aelita!" called another voice, but this time, it was a male's.

Obviously Jeremie.

Aelita's face began beaming as she watched with eager eyes; Jeremie edged through the large crowd gathered around him... And Ulrich was following as well. Yumi gave Aelita a hidden grin. She was happy to see the pinkette so joyful.

"Aelita," Jeremie greeted again, this time in a quieter tone. "Just the person I wanted to see."

The two exchanged nervous glances and feigned chuckles before finally edging towards one another into a compassionate hug. Aelita's face was reddening once again as her arms laid dumbly at her sides; sadly, Aelita could feel embarrassment taking an effect on her.

It was when Jeremie pulled away to find Aelita blushing that he decided to blush as well. Blotches of red surfaced on his cheeks, but quickly faded. He turned to face Yumi, eyeing her with a warm, welcoming smile. "I believe we haven't properly met. I'm Jeremie Belpois."

"Yumi Ishiyama."

Jeremie engulfed Yumi's hand in his and planted light air kisses upon both her cheeks. Yumi couldn't help but feel a bit awkward, despite the fact that this was already the second time tonight. It's just that this isn't exactly traditional at home. Around here, apparently, it is.

"It's great to finally meet you, Yumi," Jeremie said. "Aelita has told me so many wonderful things about you."

"Even if there was anything bad to say, she would've kept it to herself," Yumi replied with a laugh. And it was true.

Jeremie chuckled charmingly, like a prince, maybe. It was when Yumi realized that she liked this guy. Aelita has exemplary taste. "Of course." He then turned his head to acknowledge his mysterious friend. Rick, is it? Yumi didn't know. "Ulrich, come and meet Aelita and her lovely companion."

Ulrich, obeying his friend, gave Aelita a quick kiss on the cheek. With Yumi, though, not being as familiar, shook her hand. He gave her a small, curious grin, as if he was trying to figure her out. Or he was probably judging.

"Hello," he greeted in a cold, empty tone.

"Hi," Yumi replied.

It seemed like he decided to say something else, then thought better of it and shut his mouth, a distinguishable sound emitting from the banging together of his teeth. Then like that, without even saying goodbye, he briskly sauntered away.

Jeremie looked back at Aelita and Yumi with an apologetic face. Yumi was angered, though all Aelita did was stare. "I'm sorry for that," Jeremie said, pointing his thumb in the direction in which Ulrich just walked off. "It seems like Ulrich is still recovering from the jet lag!"

Yumi nodded sarcastically. _Right_. Like jet lag could possibly make up for his rudeness. His private jet with luxury seats and high class food could _surely_ make someone like that so grouchy. London isn't even a relatively long distance from France.

"I'm sorry to have had to kick us off with a bitter start, Yumi," Jeremie began, rubbing the back of his head almost shyly, "but is it okay if I take Aelita away for a dance?"

Yumi looked to Aelita, who was apparently surprised by the offer. Her face was permanently frozen to a smile at this point. "Sure," Yumi replied. "You guys go have fun."

Aelita then chose this time to give Yumi a worried look. "Are you sure you'll be okay alone, Yumi? I've seen what our classmates could do to you..."

Yumi shook her head. "You've already done so much for me, Aelita. Go ahead. I can take care of those vipers myself."

Giving one last laugh at Yumi's snide remark, Aelita happily left with Jeremie. Yumi thought that they looked so cute together, so she didn't dare break it up. Her problems shouldn't stop Aelita from living her love life. Taking those thoughts as solace, Yumi chose this to be the time to grab a cup of tea.

While Yumi was brewing the warm drink at the machine that sat atop one of the tables, someone approached from behind her. Yumi knew who she was; she could hear her a mile away with those heels. Whipping around angrily, she found Laura Gauthier behind her in a fitting blue dress. Her father is one of the most well-known lawyers in the continent, but all Yumi could think of her was that she was a know-it-all with an annoyingly arrogant attitude.

Yumi followed her gaze of sight. To the right, sitting in it's lonesome, was a piping hot cup of coffee.

_Shit_.

Before Yumi could even lunge for the weapon, Laura's hands were already clasped around the mug's small handle. "Now wouldn't it be a shame if this stained your '_beautiful_' dress?" the blonde taunted. "It should be at least 155 degrees fahrenheit, according to my calculations, so some minor burns could occur."

Yumi could feel guilt beginning to assail her thoughts. There's no way she could escape, considering she could get serious detention and several demerits for using her Pencak Silat moves, and Laura could make this spill look like an accident. She kept her eyes sharp and vivacious to show stoicness and hide her real feelings; she will not show weakness in front of this spoiled brat.

"Don't you _dare_," Yumi threatened.

"I beg to differ," she continued, taking a sip, "I'm not listening to a _scholarship_ student. You guys are always acting like you actually _fit_ in." She laughed. "Well guess what? You don't. So stop trying, Yumi, and drop out."

The Japanese clenched her fists along with her teeth. If only this girl knew that she could beat the living daylights out of her. She took a deep breath, and retorted, "You're just jealous because I actually was accepted to this 'school' because of my talent, while you got in just by _daddy's_ bribery." She spat the word like it was vile, dirty.

Laura scoffed. "I would watch your mouth. I can spill this on myself and he could sue you in a heartbeat."

Yumi only narrowed her eyes. She detested these wiseacres. She couldn't even escape; her heels hurt and the tables of hors d'oeuvres were blocking her way of exit. She didn't want to draw so much attention to herself either, making matters worse. Seeing that Yumi wasn't going to object any longer, Laura instantly poured the cup of coffee on the black taffeta, initiating a hiss out of her. She swore to Laura in Japanese, then briskly walked to the pile of napkins.

By the time she began to wipe the dress clean, Laura was already off, her laughs clearly audible. "Scholarship students aren't welcome around here," Yumi could hear her say.

The liquid wasn't getting sopped up fast enough, and it began to burn her thighs as it seeped deeper through the taffeta. Also, going to the bathroom was the last place Yumi wanted to be; from experience, that place was a popular site for pranks against the scholarship students.

Someone grabbed her left arm. "Are you okay?"

She doesn't want anyone's pity, much less their help. In adamance, Yumi was tempted to snatch her arm away until she looked up and saw who it was.

Ulrich Stern.

Yumi gestured to her dress and at the large pile of napkins surrounding her. "Yes, I'm fine," she answered in an overly-sarcastic tone. "This party is just _fantastic_."

"I agree with you on this party being horrid," he said, handing her over a napkin soaked in carbonated water -'seltzer,' as 'they' would call it. Yumi accepted it with a mumbled thanks and continued her routine of vigorously massaging the paper against the expensive taffeta. "Jeremie convinced me to come out tonight." He then glanced at the stain, which seemed to only have spread. "Is it coming out?"

Yumi continued scrubbing. "Look, I have no time to talk right now," she said, partly muted by the sounds of friction. "Oh, Aelita's going to hate me..."

Ulrich seemed perplexed. "Why would she hate you?"

Yumi didn't know why she was talking to him in the first place, but answered him anyway. "This is her dress. I could never afford something as nice as this." Ulrich rose an eyebrow. "Yes, I'm a scholarship student, thanks for asking." So what? He now knows her 'secret.'

Ulrich grimaced at her response, like she could've been better off keeping the information to herself. His expression of concern for her instantly evaporated and instead, became an expression of irritation, like her words had induced a headache. Yumi was instantly pissed off. This guy was exactly like she expected.

"I understand," Ulrich answered in a calm tone. "Well, I wish you luck."

And for the second time tonight, he briskly sauntered away.

Yumi watched with loathsome eyes as Ulrich walked towards the entrance and slackened against the wrought iron gates, shaking his head from side to side. He was obviously exasperated. She then moved her eyes over to Aelita, who was laughing from pure enjoyment of her time, her arms around Jeremie's neck. He was beaming as well.

Yumi didn't want to ruin her friend's night, after all she had done for her.

She'll just depart on her own. She'll meet Aelita back at the dorms.

But she absolutely will not leave with Ulrich standing at the entrance and only exit. She can't stand him, much less hang around five feet from him. She watched as Jeremie approached him, a stupefied smile upon his face. "Isn't this party just great, Ulrich?" she could hear him ask. "It's really great to be back, is it not?"

Yumi averted her eyes back to the party, looking for Aelita. She was busy shooing Milly who was in the center of the dance floor. Finding nothing unusual, she focused back on the pair of friends.

Ulrich mumbled a phrase of half-agreement. As Jeremie continued to babble on about how great Aelita was, Yumi began to notice his face contort into an expression of irritation. Rudely cutting him off, he spoke in a disdainful tone, "Aelita's friend is a scholarship student."

Jeremie seemed taken aback, and readjusted his glasses. "Yumi? So?"

"I came back here just to get away from that," he retorted, shaking his head once again. "After last semester, I-"

Jeremie's face softened to form a look of understanding. "Ulrich, not all of them are the same."

He scrunched his eyebrows in anger. "Did you really _think _that the first person I wanted to talk to was-" he scoffed and looked away_. "_a- a_ scholarship _student_? _Really, Jeremie?_"  
_

Yumi narrowed her eyes, her mouth barely agape. Watching the scene unfold before her, she became oblivious to the fact that she had grabbed an hors d'oeuvre -some kind of desert topped with caviar- and crushed it within her slightly calloused fist.

A new flow of attendees blocked her view, and she used that as a cover-up to leave. Having heard enough, she angrily wrenched her foolish heels from her blistered feet and hurriedly shuffled out the door.

She wanted to get away from him. As far as she could. She wanted to punish herself for falling for his 'helpful gesture,' for actually _thinking_ that he wanted to help her. She had never been so mad at anyone in her life; even Laura couldn't compare.

Ulrich's not even one bit different from the others. He will _always_ oppose her.

Just because she was a scholarship student.

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**Author's Note: Well, I hope you liked that! I certainly had fun writing it. (: Feel free to review, guys!**


	4. Lax-a-Positive

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the positive feedback! I really appreciate it! You guys are great.**

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_Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not. _

-Samuel Johnson

* * *

Chapter 3: Lax-a-Positive

"Yumi? Are you there?"

Aelita carefully opened the wooden door to find Yumi having just finished her unpacking. She needed something to do to occupy her mind during the rest of the night; Ulrich had no right in dwelling in her thoughts. She had zipped herself out of the ruined dress, and was now comfortably decked in a black tank top and denim shorts. Aelita, meanwhile, having just entered, was still in her burgundy dress.

The pinkette instantly sunk down to knee level beside Yumi and her spewing suitcase, the lace of her dress billowing around her thighs. As Yumi silently continued to remove her things from the tiny compartment, Aelita just gazed at her with emerald orbs glazed in worry. "Are you okay?" she blurted apprehensively. "I couldn't find you after the dance, and you scared me half to death!" She placed her hand on her chest, releasing a hollow thump against her flesh.

Once Yumi shifted her gaze to Aelita, her slanted eyes quickly softened. Removing her hands from the depths of her travel bag, she answered apologetically, "I'm sorry, Aelita. I had a really bad night. Laura Gauthier purposely poured a cup of black coffee on your dress-" She didn't even bother mentioning Ulrich. "And now there's a really bad stain on it, if-"

Aelita took Yumi's hands into hers, a forgiving expression resting on her face. "Honestly, Yumi, don't worry about the dress. It's fine, really. I only care about you. Now, tell me, are you okay?"

Yumi pulled her shorts further down to conceal the grotesque sight of her reddening flesh. Right after she left, she iced the burns, but was left with a thin layer of peeling skin. "Yes," she partially lied. Desperate to bring up another subject, she asked, "How was Jeremie?"

Aelita's face instantly (and abruptly) glowed. "He was fantastic, and we spent the entire evening together!" she gushed. "He was so sweet, and he also wanted all of us to meet sometime-"

Yumi rose an eyebrow. "Woah, slow down," she demanded. "All of us?"

Aelita's face dropped. "Yumi, I really want to get to know Jeremie more..." Then, her face rapidly brightened again, as if an idea came into place. "And, from what I know, Ulrich seems quite the guy..."

Yumi choked on her bottled water. Did she really just suggest that? "No way in hell-"

"Yumi," Aelita warned.

The Japanese girl held up her palms in a gesture of defense. "Fine, I promise to go out and hang with Jeremie.. As long as I don't have to see Ulrich again."

Aelita rose both of her perfectly shaped eyebrows, clearly noting something was off here. "What happened?"

Yumi sighed and clenched her strong fists. "...He was boldly talking to Jeremie about how much he _disliked_ scholarship students."

The pinkette was skeptical. "What did he _exactly_ say?"

"All I told you is all you need to know," Yumi answered simply, angrily spinning off the cap of her bottle. Then zipping up the cover of her suitcase, she then continued, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep. Early shift at Brew's tomorrow."

Aelita shot her a look. "Good night, Yumi."

* * *

Yumi found Emily the next morning inside the common room engulfed in a stack of books. "Where were you last night?" Yumi asked half angrily, half jokingly. Throwing her backpack on the space beside Emily, she sat herself down as well.

Emily gave her a laugh. "I'm so sorry, Yumi..." she answered. "It's just that the thought of spending a quiet night in my room was just so tempting..." She scanned her eyes over the stacks of textbooks surrounding her. "I just wanted to start early on this semester's reading, because, well, I just can't afford to fail."

Yumi knew what she meant. They were both under careful scrutiny from all the teachers. Emily was on an academic scholarship, and Yumi was on an academic and arts scholarship, so the two of them just couldn't let their grades drop. If they did, they would both have to kiss their places goodbye at the most rigorous school in the country. On atop of that, Yumi had to meet her dancing teacher everyday, which she didn't really mind, to meet up to the art part of her scholarship.

With school, dancing, and work, Yumi just didn't have time for anything.

"So, did I miss anything special last night?" Emily asked as she began reading from yet another textbook.

"Nope," Yumi assured, running her fingers through her raven hair exasperatedly. "But, Aelita's really happy, at the least."

Emily gave her one of those warm smiles. "Well, I'm happy for her," she answered, flipping to the next page. Readjusting her glasses, she then asked, "Did anyone say anything about prom?"

Yumi shook her head. "No. I mean, did you just forget who we are? No one would tell us about anything."

Emily laughed again. "Right.. Well, I hope Aelita gets asked to prom soon. I can only imagine how happy she'll get."

"Mhm."

Emily shot Yumi a look, as if that answer just wasn't enough. "Don't _you_ want to go to prom?"

Yumi thought about it. It was an easy answer. Of course she wanted to go to prom. She dreamt about it ever since she was a little girl- going with the perfect, guy, the perfect dress. But at Lyoko Academy, it just wasn't that simple. She just _had_ to have the perfect dress, or risk being discriminated. Like, really, magazine reporters from all around the world travel to Lyoko Academy just to write about the latest prom fashions.

"I wish I could just say yes, Emily," Yumi answered. "But it's not that easy..."

The Fresh Brew, nicknamed Brew's, is a small coffee shop across the street from Lyoko Academy, sitting right next to Kadic. It was the ideal place for Kadic and Lyoko students to relax, the only place where you can get a decent cup of coffee in a ten mile radius. The drinks were also substantially overpriced, due to the demographic which consisted of wealthy people, and on Sundays, like today, the shop was especially busy.

Odd, her co-worker, was there to greet Yumi when she entered for her morning shift. "Wassup, Yumes!" he hollered from behind the cashier. Bombarding him was a whole line of customers, most of which Yumi were familiar with. After all, she unfortunately went to school with them.

Odd was one of the more... _unusual_ guys around here, but Yumi loved him like a brother nonetheless. His bright blonde hair was spiked up to it's usual point, dotted with a purple diamond in the center. His clothing didn't fall short either, flamboyant with bold, purple colors to match his hairstyle. He was one of the very few people Yumi considered 'normal,' despite his amazingly eccentric qualities -he went to the public high-school a few blocks away. He wasn't elite much to Yumi's pleasure. She had enough of them at school.

Odd, though, weirdly enjoyed working around here unlike Yumi. He took amusement to Lyoko's and Kadic's superficiality.

"Hey, Odd," Yumi answered as she threw on the green apron and visor, pulling back the counter door which let her in beside him. She took over the cashier as Odd switched over to the mixing station wordlessly, following shiftily procedure.

He gave her a smile as he rung up the last order. Leaning into her, he whispered with his hand partly obscuring his mouth, "Operation: Bowel Control will be able to commence today."

Yumi rose an eyebrow. "What?"

"See that blue squirt bottle over there?" he asked, pointing over to which, as the name indicates, a blue squirt bottle. "It contains highly sinister contents in there." He gave her an evil grin, exhilaration taking over him.

When Yumi still gave him a blank look, he threw his arms up in exasperation. "It's condensed milk with crushed laxatives in it!"

"What!?" Yumi shot him a frantic look. "You're gonna get us fired, Odd!"

"You wanted revenge, didn't you?" he asked. And it was true. "Well, here it is. Anyway, it's not like laxatives will poison people, it'll only clean their bowels all day. So, technically, we will not get arrested for food poisoning."

"So... we're not going to get fired?"

"That's lax-a-positive."

Yumi stifled a laugh towards his lame pun. "Fine, do whatever you want Odd, but I will pretend I take no part in this. Have fun." When he gave a thumbs up, she then pointed a finger at him and added, "But only _one_ person, okay?"

"But Yumes-"

"Odd."

"Okay, okay."

Yumi turned back to face the crowd. Almost instantly, Odd nudged his hand against her shoulder to catch her attention once again. She gave him a condescending look before he pointed ahead of her towards a blonde in a blue cardigan -Laura Gauthier.

"_Her_?" Odd mouthed.

Yumi laughed and gave him a nod. When Odd turned to disappear into the array of coffee-making equipment, she veered once again to face the crowd. She watched as Laura slowly edged through the mass of people, her thin frame being battered around like some rag doll. Yumi quietly enjoyed the sight.

One last accidental push from the crowd, and Laura was pushed into the counter. She slammed her palm against its surface for stability harder than she wanted to, then took deep, calming breaths. Yumi had a smile on her face until Laura looked up to meet her gaze -that was when both girls decided to straighten up.

"Laura," Yumi acknowledged, directing her a nod.

Laura was slightly amused by Yumi's labor, causing the edges of her mouth to pull into a small smile. She fingered her Louis Vuitton wallet (complete with a brass button) as she scanned her eyes through the menu.

Yumi began to get frustrated. "So, what'll it be, Laura?" The blonde was taking too long, and it was clear that she was just trying to get her annoyed.

"Well..." she began.

By the time Yumi handed Laura her order, her hands were slightly shaking. She literally watched in horror as Odd eagerly added the contents of the blue squirt bottle into her coffee cup. To calm herself, she thought of this as her ticket to revenge, for her doing the same to her last semester, and for all the other pranks she pulled.

"H-here," Yumi stuttered as she passed the cup over to Laura. "Come again." _Or not._

When Laura gave her one last laugh, a hair flip, and left, Yumi shifted her gaze from the register's numerous buttons to face the next customer. Surprisingly, it was Ulrich who was next, and Yumi suddenly missed using the blue squirt bottle.

Ulrich rose his eyebrows in pure astonishment. "You work here?" he asked.

Yumi cracked a forced smile, and slammed her fist against the register, giving it a sudden jolt. Placing her other hand around her hip, she said sarcastically, "I'm wearing an apron and visor, aren't I?" Even one sentence out of him was enough to annoy her.

Ulrich seemed to scan her body as if having just found out that indeed, she _was_ wearing a work uniform. "I-I didn't mean-"

Yumi waved it off. "Whatever." Bringing about her smile again, she asked with false enthusiasm, "So what'll it be?"

"Just hand me a large, black coffee," he replied with what seemed like feigned kindness.

Yumi turned her back to him to look at Odd. "Large, black coffee, Odd!" she called out.

When the eccentric teen came back with Ulrich's order, Yumi snatched it out of his hands trying her best to not scald herself. She then handed it to Ulrich and rung up his order. "That'll be four euros and fifty-nine cent euros."

The brunette dug through his pants pocket and came up with a crisp twenty euro bill. He flattened it against the counter and, surprisingly, turned and began his walk to the door.

Yumi quickly calculated the change and held it out towards Ulrich. "Your _change,_" she called out, waving the bills after him.

Ulrich turned and gave her a rigid smile. Holding his hand out, he insisted, "Keep it."

Yumi's face began to burn red. "_Your change!"_ she called out again, waving it around more vigorously.

"Yumi!" Odd exclaimed.

Ulrich sighed deeply, froze for a second, and walked back towards the cashier. He assertively snatched the bills from her hand and sauntered out the door, the bell ringing behind him.

"What were you thinking, man?" Odd exclaimed, gesturing his hand in the direction at which Ulrich just left. "That was almost a fifteen euro tip!"

Yumi sighed deeply with irritation and crossed her arms. She didn't need Ulrich's pity, and he was certainly not helping her by 'donating' her his money as if she was a charity in dire need of some cash. Shaking her head, she moved her gaze to look at the next customer in line. "May I help you?" she asked.

* * *

Aelita was prattling on the phone when Yumi entered their dorm and disposed her bag upon her bed. Aelita clearly noticed her presence, for she began to hold up her slim finger in the direction of which Yumi was standing, telling her to wait a minute.

Aelita was beaming, bobbing her head up in down, her body also bobbing to its tempo. "Mhm," Yumi heard her mumble. "Okay, bye, Jeremie!"

When Aelita pressed the 'end call' button, she clenched her fists and turned to look at Yumi. They were shaking with excitement. "Guess what, Yumi?"

"Hmm.." Yumi trailed off as she found herself a seat atop her bed. "Does it have anything to do with, oh I don't know, Mr. Jeremie Belpois?"

"Yes!" Aelita was beaming. "He invited both of us to spend the weekend in his family's ski cottage in the French Alps!"

"Oh..." Yumi trailed off, shifting her gaze to the floor. She _did_ want to go, but she just had too many things on her plate: studying, dancing, and work -she didn't know how she was gonna manage all this.

Aelita took Yumi's hands into hers. Staring into her almond eyes, she asked hopefully, "So you're coming, right? You'll change your work shifts and everything?"

Yumi just couldn't say no to Aelita. Her eyes were just so innocent, so pleading, and it would be a crime to break her spirits. "Of course I will," Yumi answered, giving her a small smile. She _did_ promise the pinkette that she will get to know Jeremie more as well, so she can't look back now. "But I can't ski, Aelita."

"That's okay," Aelita answered, nodding her head. "You can still drink hot cocoa and study -it's really comfortable. Plus, Jeremie mentioned that his family also owns a small dance studio inside the cottage for their morning yoga lessons, so you can practice as well."

Yumi's face lit up at the sound of 'dance studio.' She had to admit, it _did _sound enticing...

"You're going to love Jeremie," Aelita lastly added, her face softening. "And Sissi and Ulrich aren't as bad as you think, honestly."

Yumi sighed. "They're coming _too?"_

Aelita shot her a condescending look. Yumi swore that she was given that look a hundred times since she met Ulrich. "Of course, Yumi, what did you expect?" Aelita answered. "Sissi is Jeremie's sister, and Ulrich is his best friend. Of course they're coming along. Besides, you and Ulrich just got off on the wrong foot."

She wanted to protest further, but it would just dampen Aelita's spirits. Looking at the pinkette's glowing face, Yumi finally gave in. "Okay, okay," she answered.

Aelita engulfed Yumi into a hug. "Thank you.." she said.

Yumi gazed out the window as she was still in Aelita's arms. In her mind, she kept on thinking that she was only doing this for Aelita, who had done so much for her. Aelita, who she just loved so much. She _will_ get to know Jeremie, and certainly not Ulrich or Sissi.

She had every intention of staying cooped up inside that dance studio.

* * *

**Author's Note: LOL, what's up with all the laxative usage? Well, I hope this reached up to your expectations. ((: This was so fun to write! Feel free to review, guys, I really appreciate it!**


	5. The Sweetest Melody

**Hey guys! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I worked really hard on it, trying my best to quickly type down all of my ideas before I forget them, haha. And my fingers are cramped! Well, here's chapter four, the first installment of the ski trip! :)) You guys are awesome!**

* * *

_"The piano keys are black and white, but they sound like a million colors in your mind."_

-Maria Cristina Mena

* * *

Chapter 4: The Sweetest Melody

Jeremie's caravan was leaving for the French Alps on Friday at five o'clock. Meanwhile, Yumi put strenuous work into doing extra shifts at The Fresh Brew, making up for the lost time she will be spending at the Belpois' cottage.

Unfortunately, though, Odd was late to his night shift on the very day the caravan was leaving due to 'various' reasons, forcing Yumi to sprint the ten blocks from the coffee shop to Kadic to meet up with everyone else.

"I'm -sorry, J-Jeremie," Yumi panted when she got there, trying hard to lock eyes with him. "My -replacement was late."

Jeremie gave her a warm, genuine smile. "Don't give the slightest worry," he kindly reassured, nodding his head. "I understand fully."

Like usual, Yumi was greeted with an unneeded comment from Sissi. As she was panting slightly bent over, Sissi checked her diamond encrusted watch. "You're _late_," she commented as if Yumi didn't realize it, wrinkling her nose with disgust. "And what _is_ that on your face?"

Yumi ran her forearm across her forehead to rid of the sweat. "H-huh?" she wheezed out.

Aelita knit her eyebrows and retrieved a compact from inside her coat. "I think it's chocolate, Yumi," she pointed out, directing the tiny mirror in Yumi's direction. "Here, let me help."

Ulrich's lips upturned into a minute smile as the girl lightly swatted Aelita away to quickly wipe up the blotch of cream herself. Haplessly, it wasn't working so well; the spot only seemed to have gotten bigger. To try and make things better, Aelita decided to pull out a wipe as well, handing it over to her friend.

Ulrich let out a subtle laugh once Yumi finally managed to get it off. He was clearly enjoying this. After a few seconds, he walked over to the back seat of the sleek, black caravan and opened the door, gesturing for Yumi to walk in before him.

"After you," he said dully.

Not giving him the slightest of acknowledgement, Yumi hopped into the furthest back seat. Then, he entered, along with Sissi in the middle row. The rich miss made a big show of snuggling up next to the brunette, while Aelita sat with Jeremie up in the front. Yumi listened as the engine revved, then finally relaxed when she felt the wheels begin to turn.

As Jeremie pulled out into the road, Yumi pulled out her calculus textbook, muted out her surroundings, and began to tackle the equations written in fine print.

* * *

The car ride was uneventful. Sissi frequently brought up unnecessary, rude gossip about other classmates from school, leaving Yumi to just listen. She didn't mind though -she really needed to work on her schoolwork, and she wasn't interested in slanderous remarks. Aelita occasionally tried to bring Yumi into the conversation, but she would politely answer with concise replies. Ulrich, meanwhile, shot glances at Yumi whenever she would talk, interpreted by her as glances of contempt and amusement. In response to them, though, she would slightly shift her textbook to pretend she didn't notice.

Yumi finished her calculus assignment just when the car began to twist through the mountains. She still had other work to do as well, but she couldn't resist the temptation of gazing out into the beautiful vistas. She stared in utter awe at the lush forests and snow capped mountains, and she was almost disappointed at the fact that she would spend most of her time indoors.

Decorating the vast, white mountains were gorgeous log cabins and ski lodges, and in their proximity were the gradual slopes. Jeremie pulled out onto a private road and began to slowly drive through the winding path, eventually stopping at his family's 'cottage.' Yumi gazed in wonderment.

The Belpois' ski 'cottage' was an immense, four story living complex built with gray stone, overlooking the mountains. The windows were tinted a light blue, framed with dark wood and beige shutters. Every floor had a pretty railing, and slowly billowing out of the chimney were puffs of smoke, signaling the use of a fireplace. And of course, to the left, were the detrimental ski slopes.

At the sight of them, Yumi began to feel slightly intimidated. There was no way she was going to ski this weekend.

As they grabbed their bags, Jeremie gave them the grand tour of the home. The dance studio was last to be introduced, and Yumi was given a knowing glance from both Jeremie and Aelita. The cottage had two guest bedrooms -Yumi and Aelita shared one, Ulrich in the other. Sissi and Jeremie had their own rooms, each on either side of the master bedroom, which belonged respectfully to their parents whenever they chose to visit.

As Yumi began to unpack, she scanned through the list of homework she needed to complete throughout the course of the weekend. As time passed, however, her mind couldn't help but dawdle to subjects concerning the dance studio. Before she knew it, she found herself taking the path Jeremie showed them during the tour, consisting of wide corridors and winding staircases, and finally reached the room she found to be her escape.

Yumi dropped her dancing bag onto the beautiful tiled wood and looked around, walking in arbitrary circles. It was a standard dance studio, consisting of mirrors and a few windows, providing a breathtaking view of the mountains.

"Beautiful," Yumi whispered.

In a few weeks, Yumi will have to perform at a dance recital. That was what she chose to practice for. Digging into her bag, she pulled out two paper fans and quickly opened them up, the paper fluttering with a slight swish. The dance she and her teacher had chosen was a mix of tessenjutsu and ballet, incorporating the fighting technique with graceful movements -it was difficult, but not impossible. Her teacher suggested to try a dance that fit more into her Japanese culture, and this was what they came up with.

Yumi began with a few stretches and did a few pliés, using the brass bars for support.

Then, the weirdest thing happened.

The most beautiful piano music Yumi had ever heard steadily flooded into the room. It was prettier, sweeter than anything Yumi had ever heard from Beethoveen, Mozart, or maybe even any other famous piano composer. Slowly closing her eyes, Yumi began to sway to its rhythm, gradually getting used to its sweet melody. Then, she let herself get completely lost in it, wholly and fully at its mercy. Her movements were graceful, beautifully choreographed, and in tempo with the beautiful music. She didn't know who was it that was playing, but she didn't care. Her mind was clear, serene, and she was thankful for a while.

Then, the music stopped.

Yumi let out an exasperated sigh when she heard a slight knock on the door soon later. Turning her head to face it, she found Jeremie standing close to the doorframe, his fist resting against it. She closed her fans with a mere flick of her wrists, trying best to hide her slight annoyance. "Sorry to have interrupted you," Jeremie apologized as she cleaned up, "but the others and I are getting ready to eat dinner, and I was wondering if you would like to join us."

Yumi shifted her gaze from her dancing bag to Jeremie's blue eyes. She was speechless, frozen for a second. She didn't realize this much time has gone. It _was_ late, and when she thought about it, she _was_ starving. Nodding her head, she answered, "Of course."

He smiled even wider and waved her over. "Then follow me, if you will. Rosa has prepared her famous barbecue chicken with wild rice. Hopefully, you possess the appetite."

* * *

"You didn't see any of that, did you?" Yumi asked as they made their way down the steps, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Jeremie gave her an amused smile. "A bit," he replied. "But I heard from Aelita that you are quite an accomplished dancer."

Yumi's face lit up. "She really said that?"

Jeremie bobbed his head. "Yes, and she wasn't mistaken."

Yumi smiled to herself. "Thank you, Jeremie," she expressed her gratitude. To tell you the truth, she was flattered. That was the first and second compliment she had ever received for her dancing; everyone at Lyoko Academy under appreciated the beautiful art, calling it a 'simple moving of feet.' But it was so much more, and she was glad that _someone_ recognized it. She had already built a reputation as the best dancer in the school, but sometimes, praise from just her teacher just wasn't enough.

The pair arrived at the living/dining room/kitchen in two minutes flat. The large space was paneled with bright wood, the walls painted a soft beige. To the side was a large window covering up a large portion of the wall, filtering some moonlight into the room along with providing a beautiful view of the skiing slopes. The dining table was made of black wood with matching chairs, decorated with the finest silverware and glassware Yumi has ever seen. The kitchen matched the table as well, polishing off the whole place with a modern and collected look.

Sissi had cuddled up comfortably with Ulrich on the couch, who didn't look like he was enjoying this at all, and there was Aelita, completely unaware of their flirting. Slightly mesmerized, Yumi slowly walked over to the beautiful ebony piano that stood in the corner of the room, in the vicinity of the dining table, and began to give it a once-over. She could just feel the energy still quivering from it, as if someone just finished playing and the piano was still getting use to being stagnant.

That just made her remember something.

As Yumi lightly ran her fingers over the ivory keys, she asked, "Jeremie, who plays?"

"My mother used to take lessons, and tried to teach me a few," he answered simply. "But ever since I entered high-school, I stopped playing -time seemed to slip between my fingers." He gave her a questioning look. "Perhaps you play?"

Yumi shook her head. "No, I could never be good at it.. Was that you playing a few minutes ago?"

Ulrich shot Jeremie a look before he could stop himself. "No, I could never be that good," he echoed, failing to keep back a smile. "It was none other than Ulrich. Presumably, he prefers the keyboard, but is equally fantastic at both."

When Yumi shifted her gaze to Ulrich, her mouth slightly agape, he gave her a two-finger salute, the faintest smile resting on his face. To tell you the truth, Yumi was in shock. _She_ was a piano enthusiast -in fact, she danced to many piano pieces.

But she didn't recognize the song Ulrich was just playing.

"Anyway," Jeremie continued, letting out a nervous chuckle, "Dinner should be here soon."

As the five sat themselves at the table, an older woman Yumi assumed to be Rosa appeared from the depths of the kitchen, setting down the prepared food. She seemed to possess a motherly disposition, her body round and plump, her smile so warm. The food looked fantastic.

After a quick prayer, they began to dig into the appetizing meal.

"So, Yumi," Jeremie began, holding his fork in his hand, the knife in the other, "I heard that one of your dance recitals is coming up. Maybe we could come and watch."

Sissi snorted. "Yes, and we can finally see that _talent_ you presumably possess..."

Yumi unknowingly clenched her fists. Before she could noisily drop her utensils in anger, Aelita placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Ignore Sissi," she whispered. "She's just jealous. I don't think she likes the way how Ulrich is taking every chance he can to look at you."

Yumi's face subconsciously turned red. She widened her eyes. "Are you crazy?!" she whispered back, veering her head in the pinkette's direction. "She wants to be looked at with absolute loathe?"

Aelita's eyes sharpened. "Yumi!" she rebuked.

"I'm just stating the truth..." Yumi retorted. Looking up to meet Jeremie expectant eyes, she answered, "That would be great, Jeremie. Thank you."

"Are you sure you don't want to go skiing with us tomorrow?" he mentioned. "Ulrich could give you some helpful pointers. He's fantastic."

Ulrich cleared his throat. "Uh, sure," he responded.

"It's totally fine," Yumi said with slight contempt. "I'd much rather practice for my recital."

Jeremie gave a light laugh. "If that's what you'd like," he answered. "Rosa will take good care of you. I really want you to enjoy your stay. Consider yourself family."

Yumi nodded with a smile and averted her attention back to her food. For once, she finally _did_ feel as if she was at home. Jeremie's hospitality was so genuine, so warm and welcoming. He was just so benevolent, benign. Jeremie was just too kind, and she wished there were more people in her school like him.

But she needed to face the truth.

That unfortunately, it would certainly not come to be.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, I hoped that met up to your expectations. Hopefully, you guys like this as much as the other chapters. Feel free to review, guys! I really appreciate it. (:**


	6. Stationery Problem

_**Hey guys! I hope you're all enjoying this so far! :) Because, I'm crossing my fingers. Here's the next chapter. Hopefully, I still have your attention. ((:**_

* * *

_"Putting my defenses up,_

_'cause I don't wanna fall in love._

_If I ever did that,_

_I think I'd have a heart attack."_

-Demi Lovato 'Heart Attack'

* * *

Chapter 5: Stationery Problem

Yumi woke up the next morning with the sounds of skiers greeting her ears. It was a sunny, yet frigid morning. As the girl slowly exhaled, she could barely make out the tendrils of smoke that exited her mouth, signifying the intermingling of her warm breath and the cold air. Looking around, she was confused as to where she was -until the events from last night came rushing back.

She walked down the steps to the living room to find Jeremie, Aelita, Ulrich, and Sissi seated at the dining table munching loudly into Rosa's toasted croissants patted lightly with butter.

Jeremie was the first to greet her. Putting down his breakfast, he cordially addressed Yumi. "Good morning," he said in a benevolent tone. "Did you sleep well?"

Not able to resist because of its delicious aroma, Yumi helped herself to a buttered croissant. "Yes, thank you," she answered. Biting into the other half, Yumi washed down the food with a glass of pomegranate juice and went to grab her coat.

Shifting her gaze to Yumi from the corner of her eye, Aelita asked, "Where are you leaving off to, Yumi?"

"Into town," Yumi answered, shrugging on the sleeves of her coat. "Is there a stationery store in town? I need a new packet to write a few letters to friends back at home."

Jeremie nodded his head. "Yes, in fact, there is," he replied. "When do you plan on leaving, Yumi? Maybe I can drive you."

Ulrich shook his head. "I'll do it," he answered almost -Yumi could've swore- reluctantly. "I need a new book of composing paper, anyway."

Yumi sent him a threatening glare. "I can handle it on my own, thank you," she quickly replied. Yumi mustered a hint of daring inside her tone of voice, trying best to scare Ulrich off.

He glared back, sending her the signal that he wasn't intimidated. Not the slightest bit. Shaking his head, he answered, "It'd be rude for me to drive off and leave you walking. I need to get something as well, if you don't remember."

"Don't you have some skiing to do?" she retorted.

"The slopes aren't going anywhere," he fired back. "Besides it'd be silly for you to walk in this c-"

_THWACK_! Jeremie slammed this morning's newspaper against the wooden table. Silence filled the room. Aelita's eyes reasonably increased in size from his sudden assertiveness. Sissi flinched and removed her arms from the table. Yumi and Ulrich immediately shut their mouths. Rubbing his temples, Jeremie rebuked, "That is quite enough. Just _go_, please. We'll be waiting for you to return, Ulrich."

Exhaling gruffly, Ulrich quickly sauntered to the door and opened it, revealing the blinding brightness of the snow in contrast with the blue sky. He retrieved his coat from the coat rack and gave Yumi an expectant look, gesturing for her to make her leave.

Straightening her posture, Yumi turned around to look at the rest of them, searching frantically for another excuse. Jeremie was still rubbing his temples with his eyes tightly shut, and Aelita continued rubbing his back to untense him. Sissi was sending her glares which resembled invisible darts, clearly not liking the idea of them being alone.

With a huff, Yumi put on her boots and walked out the door, not acknowledging or thanking Ulrich even once.

The glistening snow crunched noisily beneath their feet as they walked to Jeremie's caravan, making up for their silence. Yumi stuffed her hands inside her pockets, warming them graciously with her body heat as Ulrich walked with his jaw clenched like the first time she ever met him.

Yumi was agitated. Ulrich seemed like he had seventeen different personalities, making it near impossible to decipher him. First he was opposed with scholarship students, and then he offered her a nice gesture. It was almost as if he was tentative. Like something about her made him tweak his perspective.

"Thanks for getting Jeremie mad," Ulrich began the conversation with, breaking the oppressive silence. Shaking his head, he added, "He rarely ever becomes like that."

To tell you the truth, she was thrown off by that sudden remark. She was fully unprepared, leaving her at a loss for words. "You blame _me_?" she restated in a surprised tone. "So it's _my_ fault?"

"Yeah," Ulrich replied with ease. "If you would've just easily taken my kind offer, we wouldn't've started our useless arguing."

Yumi raised her hands with defense. "Well I'm sorry for trying to do _you_ a favor by trying to keep you from dealing with me."

Ulrich sent her a look. "So you admit that your temper is annoying?"

Yumi scoffed and restrained herself from giving him a playful punch. She stifled back a smile. Shaking her head, she hardened her tone and answered back, "I just heard that you're not exactly fond of scholarship students..."

Just then, her anger towards him grew once again. She tried her best not to slap him.

There was a pause which seemed to be the longest seconds her life. "It's not like that," Ulrich muttered, kicking at the snow to keep himself from gazing into her. "It's just that I don't want things that have happened before to happen again."

Yumi kept her gaze to the ground. "I'm not like the others," she whispered under her breath. Then, she raised her voice. "Well, how am I supposed to make you accept me if I don't exactly know what it is that happened?" she asked. "You can't treat me like this, Ulrich."

He raised his gaze to look into Yumi's eyes. In his face, she found a look of stoicness... with a hidden hint of sadness. "It's personal," he simply stated.

Yumi's face contorted into a look of concern. She found that she really wanted him to break that look of bravado and just let go. Whatever happened seemed devastating, causing his defenses to be put up.

Maybe that's why he's so locked up in his concoction of feelings.

Yumi resisted from probing further.

* * *

"So, about the skiing..." Ulrich trailed off, keeping his eyes on the road. He clearly wanted the subject to be changed. "Are you sure you want to skip it? It's really a fun thing to do."

Yumi shook her head. "I just have too many other things on my plate. With homework, dancing, and work, I don't really have much time to do anything. The weekend is the only time where I can really have the time to complete things on my list."

Ulrich nodded slowly, but his eyebrows were still creased from confusion. "I still don't understand why you came out here." When Yumi shot him a look, he immediately shot back, "No! I don't mean it like that. I mean-"

Yumi laughed. "That's easy. I just wanted to keep Aelita company. She's just done a lot for me, and coming out was the least I could do for her," she answered. Yumi didn't know why she was in need of confessing all of this when all Ulrich had done was keep secrets. Maybe she just wanted to be the bigger person.

"You've only known each other for a semester-"

"But it seems like it's been forever," she quickly added. "She had been nothing but nice to me... And she's not even a scholarship student."

As Ulrich nodded, Yumi looked out the window. The town seemed like a target for wealthy people everywhere- the stores were all small but possessed a chic aura. Yumi enjoyed watching everyone walk around the place with bags full of purchases; it was interesting to see how the rich shop. They seemed so careless, so free.

Sometimes, and reluctantly, Yumi longed for the affluence they had.

Ulrich pulled over up next to the store, and they entered. The door's bell rung with a high tinkling noise, telling the cashier that someone has come. He looked up behind his half-moon spectacles and gave them a warm smile. "Hello," he greeted. "What is it you like today?"

"Just a set of stationery, please."

He smiled once again. "Right this way." He led Ulrich and Yumi to a shelf filled with all kinds of paper, envelopes, and stickers. There were so many designs, and it looked near impossible to choose just one. There were beautiful cardstock, parchment, and etching papers in all the designs ever thought possible. All organized and in order. Yumi was speechless.

"Here you go," the sales associate said. "Don't hesitate to ask for help."

Yumi gave him a half-bow out of instinct. "Thank you, sir."

Looking up to the towering shelf, Yumi sighed. Gazing at the prices, she began to feel a little uneasy. All the prices ranged from forty to ninety euros. There was, though, a plain set which only cost twenty.

Yumi fingered it a bit. It was a simple plum color embossed with pink flowers. "I'll just get this one."

The whole time, Ulrich stood beside her quietly. He nodded, and added, "It's nice."

Before Yumi knew it, Ulrich was removing the packet out of her hands and began his walk to the cashier.

Yumi ran up to him. "Um, what are you doing, Ulrich?"

He pulled out a black credit card. "Do you need something else?"

"No." Yumi shook her head. "I just don't get why you're paying for _my_ purchase. I'll pay for it."

As Yumi snatched the packet from his shaking hands, Ulrich trailed behind her. "What is the matter? The price is not a big problem for me, and it seems like you don't want to spend so much. Whatis your problem?" he asked.

Yumi inhaled a deep breath. "Excuse me?"

"It seems like you have a problem with everyone at Lyoko and at Kadic, including me," Ulrich argued, beginning to raise his voice. "I'm just trying to offer a nice gesture, and you're just trying to argue with me once again instead of thanking me."

Yumi clenched her fists. "Okay, maybe I do have a problem," she fired back. "...With all of you."

Ulrich seemed taken aback by her sudden confession. "What is it that makes you dislike us so much?"

Yumi was surprised that he was grouping himself with the rest of the crowd. She shrugged sarcastically. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it was the time when Laura threw a cup of tea in my face on my _first _day. Or when Sissi gave me looks of disgust. _Or,_ maybe it was when all the girls at school marked all over my door about how homeless-like I am! What did I _ever_ do to deserve all of this?"

Ulrich looked to the ground. "You don't know the slightest thing about me."

"And you do about me?" Yumi retorted. "I don't need your pity, because really, I don't. Just because I have to work for my money does not mean I'm in desperate need of help."

"I didn't know about-"

"Yes, that's right. You haven't had the slightest idea of what I've been through. School has been like hell."

And with that, Yumi swiftly turned around on her heel and sauntered over to the cashier. He, having pretended that he didn't hear their argument, watched as Yumi flattened the wrinkled bills she pulled forcibly out of her pocket.

When they walked out the door, Yumi walked to the car and added, "I have no interest in you or your money."

Then, she got inside and slammed the door behind her before Ulrich could.

Quickly, he drove away wordlessly, and Yumi didn't notice the fact that he didn't buy his composing paper._  
_

Thankfully, the car ride back was silent. As soon as they got back, Yumi ran up to her room, and didn't relax until everyone left for the slopes.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this! :)) I had funn.**


	7. Best Girl Wins

**Hey guys! First, I would like to thank my reviewers: Random Person, Guest (hopefully, there's only one of you, if not, I'm directing this thanks to all of you :)), bluedog197, Stormfeather of IceClan, animallover55, OjoOtaku, codelyokomonadvanced, camilleRomance, Yuaoj009, lovelyoko31001, Just a Reviewer, Kim, holaminombreesdrama, musicqueen124, obsessivefanno.4, ZachFlame, Rosa, galkar, lyoko2lover, rosamea, AelitaOfTheWolves, JustGrace13, and fvbt2001. I'm really thankful for all of them -they're so sweet. And all of you guys have such cool usernames! I'm jealous! ;) And thank you to everyone who has favorited and followed as well! You all are awesome!**

**Okay, now, let's proceed with the chapter. ((:**

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_"Don't waste time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind."_

-Mary Schmich

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Chapter 6: Best Girl Wins

Even though her morning wasn't exactly the best, Yumi still managed to have a great day at the Belpois' ski cottage. Much to her delight, she was able to catch up on her homework, even read ahead in a few classes, and she even gave Rosa a little dance concert with her paper fans.

But without Ulrich's piano music playing in the background, it didn't feel the same. As true as it was, Yumi refused to admit it.

The rest of the group returned from the slopes at about five in the afternoon. Sissi entered with Ulrich, who was talking his ear off. Funny as it was, it seemed like he was only half listening. Yumi, who found the situation amusing, hid her smirk behind her literature book.

"Hello, Yumi," Jeremie greeted once he shut the door behind Aelita, cutting off the frigid breeze coming from outside. "How was your day?"

Yumi placed her book down atop the cushions and directed a smile towards him. "Great, thank you," she answered.

Ulrich swiftly walked past her, sending a gentle stream of air her way. Brushing off his jacket, he mumbled sarcastically, "And I had just as much fun."

As he walked up the stairs, Sissi trailed behind him. "Ulrich, the slopes were just fun, weren't they?" she asked, her voice fading as she the distance increased between her and Yumi.

Meanwhile, Jeremie graciously helped Aelita steady her as she removed her boots. Their cheeks were flushed from the cold. Aelita sent him a small smile of thanks, and began her walk up the steps as well.

When they were long gone, Jeremie shifted his gaze to Yumi. His blue eyes were glinting with excitement, edged with part embarrassment. "Hey, Yumi," he began, rubbing the back of his head almost awkwardly. His cheeks began to get redder as he continued, "Do you think Aelita would like it if I asked her out to dinner tonight? I mean, would you be okay with it as well? I know Sissi isn't the most... _pleasant_ of people, but at least Ulrich will be here to help you."

Yumi almost choked on her hot chocolate. She cleared her throat. "Um, yeah, I think she'll love it!" she answered with the most enthusiasm she could. Really, she wanted Aelita to have fun and be happy, but she really didn't like the idea of being alone with Ulrich and Sissi. Her despise towards them would just continue to grow. But knowing that Aelita deserved it because of her unconditional kindness during the past semester, Yumi swallowed and forced out, "I really don't mind, Jeremie. Have fun, okay?"

The blonde took Yumi's hands in his and gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Yumi."

And he made his way up the stairs.

* * *

The night began on a merry note. Yumi walked up the stairs to meet Aelita squealing with excitement from Jeremie's dinner invitation. The two spent the next hour helping the pinkette with her outfit (a pink top with a black peter pan collar, black denim jeans, and a matching nude purse and pumps). And, heck, by the time they were finished, Aelita looked hot.

Jeremie became weak in the knees while watching the girl glide swiftly down the stairs with a glowing smile on her face. Yumi grinned at the sight.

Meanwhile, her night was as awkward as she could ever imagine. She felt like a third wheel on a date- Sissi just couldn't _stop_ flirting with Ulrich, doing her best to find excuses to touch him. Meantime, Ulrich looked weary, and his facial expression suggested malevolent thoughts towards the rich miss which he just decided to keep to himself. Yumi kept quiet, only speaking up to compliment Rosa's satisfying food and to offer help.

For the millionth time this night, Sissi opened her mouth to speak... Just to mention prom once again. "My father graciously decided to invest _more_ money on prom this year," she proudly stated. "Just _imagine_, prom will be so much better this year. And all because-"

Ulrich abrasively got up from his chair, pushing his plate away from him. "You know, Sissi," he began through clenched teeth, "Usually, I'll take the time to tell you how little I care about that dreadful, belittled night we call _prom, _but instead, I'll just ignore you, and begin my way towards writing a new piano piece."

Sissi seemed unfazed by his unkind remark. Giving a hair flip, she smiled sweetly to try and give off a sultry demeanor, and replied, "You're _right_, Ulrich.. Maybe I _have_ been incessantly droning on about prom- " she gently placed her palm on his chest, "-_Maybe_ we should start a nice, warm fire and enjoy the sight of the slopes. Hmmm?" She batted her eyelashes and gave him an innocent grin.

Ulrich grimaced at her act. "No, thank you, I think I'll just read."

"Ugh, _Ulrich_," Sissi whined. "We all know you don't read."

Ulrich seemed to shift his gaze to look around the room. He thought for a second. "You're right, maybe I'll just message Tamiya."

Yumi stifled a laugh as a quiet bystander would. Getting up to clear the plates, she walked over to Rosa, who was humming a few tunes to herself as she filled up the sink with water. "Why, isn't it Yumi?" she greeted, moving her gaze from the dirty dishes. "What brings you here, my dear?"

"Please, let me help you with the dishes," she offered, placing her own set of dishes in the tub. "I really don't feel like dealing with them now."

Rosa gave her a laugh. "My dear, I've had to deal with Ms. Delmas for quite some time now," she said. "Which is why I do all my dishes manually. Go on, Yumi, relax. I can do this myself."

Yumi retreated back into the living room to find Sissi monotonously flipping through channels on the plasma screen and Ulrich typing quickly on his laptop. Thankful for the complete silence, Yumi took advantage of it and plopped herself down atop the chaise lounge sofa and began to read her lit book for this coming Monday's assignment. She fingered through every page, but found her pace painstakingly slow -it was safe to say that Sissi was to blame.

Yumi was amused by how hard the girl was trying to catch Ulrich's attention. She watched as Sissi leaned over to glance at the laptop screen in front of Ulrich, invading his personal space. In response to that, Ulrich only hardened his gaze at the laptop and scooted a few inches to the right. Sissi dropped her posture and leaned back into the couch in exasperation, the stiff cushions sending a hollow thump across the room.

Sissi sighed, crossed her arms, and started tapping her foot against the carpet. Shifting her gaze to Ulrich, she said, "Tell Tamiya I said _hi_."

Ulrich sighed as well and didn't move to lift his gaze even the slightest from the bright screen. "I already did," he muttered.

Sissi only smiled. "Well, I just think it's so _sweet_ how you check up on your little sister so often," she chirped, placing a hand on his thigh. "She's _adorable_, really."

Ulrich didn't respond. It was as if he had an immunity to Sissi's futile flirting attempts. He clenched his teeth and gritted them against one another.

Attempt number three consisted of Sissi giving out an exasperated yawn. She began to stretch her arms, bringing up the top that was already too short for her lengthy torso even higher, giving Ulrich easy access to her midriff. "Wow, the slopes were _just_ great today," she remarked. "It was _quite_ a workout."

Ulrich slightly creased his eyebrows in annoyance. Having had enough, he pressed down the lid until his laptop was completely closed and walked over to the chaise lounge beside Yumi. There, he whipped out his own book, and surprisingly, he began to read.

Sissi looked around, gripping the edges of the couch. She had no idea what to do now. "What a _great_ night for reading!" she spoke in desperation, clasping her hands together. "Yes, let's go and do _that_."

She walked over to the vast bookshelf, running her finger along the spines. Picking a book at random, she pulled out 'Hamlet' by William Shakespeare. Sitting herself down next to Ulrich, Sissi opened the book and began to quietly read. Unfortunately, after ten minutes, the wording confused and bored her, forcing her to close the book or else a headache would begin to set in.

"Yumi," she called. She raised her glance from her book and rose a suspicious eyebrow. "Would you like me to teach you some yoga moves?"

Yumi smirked behind her book. She was practically adept at yoga; that's what made dancing so natural for her. "Sure," she answered sarcastically, shutting her book with a distinguished thump. "I would like that."

Ulrich put down his book as well and smirked as he watched Sissi do complicated yoga poses and Yumi followed quite easily. Just when the rich miss was about to give up though in trying to outshine her, Yumi pretended to have fell. "Oh, Yumi," Sissi cooed, feigning disappointment, "are you okay?"

"Oh, shoot," Yumi said sarcastically, rubbing her 'sore' back. "That pose was too hard for me."

"That's okay," Sissi smiled. "Yoga isn't for everybody."

Yumi shrugged her shoulders and picked off her reading. Ulrich looked over to her, and whispered with yet another smirk, "Not your thing?"

"I guess not," Yumi muttered with a glare.

Sissi smiled in satisfaction and plopped herself between Ulrich and Yumi. Immediately, she began to drone on about a movie they should all watch for the night. Neither of them gave her some input, but she was oblivious and clearly didn't care.

As long as Yumi wasn't in the way of getting to Ulrich, Sissi was content.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed that (poor Sissi, LOL)! Feel free to review, guys! :))**


	8. Kadic Scholarship Student

**Hey guys! Here I am with another chapter! I really hope you all like it -it took me longer than expected to write it, haha.**

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_'It's amazing how your best friend can turn into your mutual enemy in a matter of seconds.'_

-Clover

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Chapter 7: Kadic Scholarship Student

Nothing unusual happened during the ride back to school. Aelita and Jeremie were as cheerful as ever, talking to each other so comfortably without the slightest bit of awkward moments. Sissi, of course, tried her best to catch Ulrich's attention, bringing up the subject of prom at least a couple hundred times. This only annoyed him, naturally, and he tried his best to ignore her _and_ Yumi the whole ride back.

Not that Yumi would care.

That Sunday night, Yumi walked from Lyoko to Brew's Coffee Shop to complete the shift that she exchanged for the time she wasn't working over the weekend at Jeremie's cottage. The door opened with the usual ring, causing Odd to instinctively lift his gaze. He sent a brief smile her way and continued to wipe down the counters, which were already spotless. Truth to be told, Yumi was surprised to see Odd -he usually didn't work this time of week.

Sunday nights were the slowest. Sure, they were easier to handle, but Yumi preferred to work on Sunday mornings. They were quicker, busier, and time seemed to fly by. Plus, they got more tips.

"Hey, Odd," Yumi greeted, pulling back the counter door to let her in beside him. Tying the apron strings behind her back, she asked, "What brings you here?"

Odd sighed exasperatedly in response. "Sam called in sick, man, so I had to take over." Suddenly, his eyes took on a dreamy look, the image of the beautiful girl with chocolate toned skin and red highlights forming in his head. "Someone had to do it, right?"

"Ah." Yumi smirked. Being one of Odd's best friends, Yumi knew everything about him, not excluding his love life. She knew about his feelings for said girl, and she found it absolutely cute. "Well, I hope she gets better."

Odd looked at her and let out a laugh. "Yeah," he simply replied.

Silence ensued. Odd looked at Yumi once again, who was now gazing at him with a mocking dreamy look, her hands clasped together.

Odd scoffed and striked his rag lightly against Yumi's back. She only laughed, lifting her hands up to guard. "Lay off, will you?" he mumbled, shifting his gaze back to the counter. His cheeks began to take on a reddening hue as he scrubbed, embarrassed.

"You looove her, Odd," Yumi drawled on.

"Shut up!" Odd began to repeatedly assault her with rag attacks, and she laughed continuously in response. Yumi was glad to have some fun after that seemingly interminable weekend. "God, Yumi."

When she thought she couldn't take any more or else her stomach would burst, someone was there to interrupt.

"Ahem."

The two paused in unison, looking up to see a pasty teenager with a severe acne problem, greasy hair, and was dressed in a green coat. He directed a terse nod at the two of them, calling out their names. "Odd," he said. "Yumi."

"Hey, Herve," Yumi responded. Wordlessly taking over the cashier as Odd shuffled noisily behind her to continue scrubbing the immaculate counters, she then asked, "What'll it be?"

He tapped his chin in deep contemplation. "Well, today _has_ been a strenuous studying day, so I guess I wouldn't want to get too caffeinated, for I do need some rest," he began. "But then again, there still is some work I need to do back at Kadic for calculus. Warm milk would lull me, and a coffee would keep me energized. Sugar would give me unusual dreams, and-"

Yumi feigned a smile. "I see your dilemma, Herve," she pointed out, slightly annoyed. "Say, maybe you should get decaf?"

His face instantly lit up. "Why, that is just what I need, Yumi. Wonderful."

"One large decaffeinated black coffee, coming right up," Yumi announced, ringing up his sum. "I'll be right back with your order."

Yumi quickly made the drink, and handed it over to Herve. When he nodded his thanks and walked out the door, Yumi sighed with exhausted and leaned against the counter. She wordlessly looked up to the ceiling, exasperated out of her wits. When she began to wipe down the expresso machine, a guy seated on the far right table spoke up.

"Man, Odd," he said. "I really don't get how you can deal with those Kadic guys."

Yumi looked up and was surprised she never saw him before. He was outrageously good looking, with hair that was not quite black, but not quite blue either. He was dressed in a brown jacket over a navy shirt, along with a pair of dark jeans. He was tall as well, his frame tall and lanky.

If there were three words to describe him, they would be tall, dark, and handsome.

"It's nothing, actually." Odd slung his rag over his left shoulder. "Their ways amuse me," he answered. Odd then gave him a look. "And weren't _you_ once a Kadic guy?"

His dark blue eyes glinted with mischievousness. Holding his hands up, he chuckled and answered, "I was kicked out, man. You wouldn't really count me as one of them, would you?"

"Hey, William," Odd began. "Better stop talking before Yumes here gets offended."

William looked over to Yumi and rose an eyebrow. "_You_ go to Lyoko Academy? And work _here_?"

"Make that on scholarship," she corrected, pointing a finger at him. "Nice to meet you, William. I'm Yumi."

"So I've heard," he answered, getting up to walk over to the counter. He extended a hand and gave one of those crooked smiles. Yumi felt her pulse slightly quicken. "I'm William Dunbar, former _scholarship_ Kadic student. I got expelled."

He said it with a mere shrug like he didn't give a care. Yumi instantly liked him, because getting freed from a community of pompous jerks isn't something to be sad over. Taking his hand, she shook, and gave him a surprised look. "I didn't know that Kadic gave out scholarships as well."

He chuckled. "True, it's very rare. The strangest of the strange happened."

"I can only imagine. So you really did get kicked out?"

"Yeah." He held his hands up in defense. "I just couldn't resist the idea of posting up love posters all over Lyoko Academy. It's amusing, really, watching as the girls shriek of disgust when they see an affectionate message addressed to them from a Kadic scholarship student."

Yumi laughed, and she just couldn't stop smiling. It was great to be able to relate to someone for once. She was too occupied with the fact that she met someone remotely like her for her to notice that the bell that hung upon the door just rung. Looking up, Yumi found Ulrich slowly sauntering in, and her expression suddenly became despondent. William turned around to look as well, and Yumi just noticed that at the sight of each other, the pair of boys instantly tensed up. Their demeanors quickly became rigid, cold.

Ulrich shook his head and shot a glare of utter contempt towards William. Yumi didn't know what was going on between them, but she knew that Ulrich would instantly dislike William, mostly for the fact of his being as a scholarship student. William instantly backed away from the counter and retreated back to his seat, as Ulrich scrutinized his every move with the piercing eyes of a hawk. Once again, his jaw was clenched tightly.

Yumi sighed. "Can I get you something, Ulrich?" she asked pungently.

He seemed to have jerked out of his trance. "Um, yes, sorry," he mumbled. "I'll just have a large iced latte, please."

"Coming right up." As Yumi turned to look at the array of machines, she couldn't help but smile. Knowing that William somehow bothered Ulrich -it just made her like the guy even more. "Here you go," she said, handing the drink over to him.

"Thanks," he answered. Turning to face the door, he abruptly brought up, "How much longer is it until your shift is over?"

Yumi rose an eyebrow. Why would _he_ want to know? "12 a.m., and I'm done. Why?"

"Is it really safe for you to be walking out in the streets alone this late at night?" he asked.

Yumi shrugged. "Besides the usual torment from my fellow classmates, there's nothing to worry about."

Ulrich seemed hesitant. Sighing through his teeth, he nodded and once again continued his walk out the door, not stopping to even give one look at William.

William turned to face Yumi once Ulrich was long gone. His eyebrows were creased, and he was scratching the back of his head almost uncomfortably. To this point, Yumi was confused. Something had to have happened during his days at Kadic. "Well, that was.. interesting," he trailed off.

Yumi rose an eyebrow. "I'm guessing that you guys knew each other."

He nodded. "Yes, in fact. We used to be close friends, _that _I can say."

Yumi was surprised. It seemed that Ulrich wasn't the type to be friends with a scholarship student. She didn't bother pestering further. It was their business, not hers, and she didn't need to learn more about that egotistical jerk.

William took a step towards her. "You really need to pay attention to who you hang out with."

Yumi shook her head, clearing her mind of all thoughts. "What? Ulrich?" she asked. "You don't have to worry about him."

He nodded slowly. Then, his face instantly brightened, clearing away all the seriousness that was once there. "I have an idea," he said. "Why not give me your number? We should hang out some time, and that way, you can spend some time away from all of _them._ Let's just say.. that I'm saving you._"_ He chuckled.

Truth to be told, Yumi liked the idea. It was just what she needed. Adamantly grabbing William's hand, she began to scribble on it with her ballpoint pen.

She passed over the seven digits without hesitation.

* * *

**Author's Note: So.. some mystery between the Kadic boys going on, eh? Feel free to review, guys!**


	9. The History

**Hey guys! I hope you like this chapter! It'll be interesting. (; Thank you for all the kind reviews- I really appreciate it! :)**

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_"The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves."_

-William Penn

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Chapter 8: The History

It was a Wednesday night. William and Yumi's first date was at Adriano's Pizza Parlour, a small Italian restaurant whose specialty was -you guessed it- pizza. Naturally, Yumi's spirits were lifted when all she was met with was a fine small establishment with a homey, rustic Italian feel. The walls were were brick, the lighting was dim, and the tables and chairs were small and wooden with a rickety feel. The girl could feel her shoulders relax when she looked around and saw that no one was to walk up and judge her for her money or place in the hierarchy of society. It was... refreshing.

William led her to the front counter, which was being manned by a pretty redhead with pale skin and light freckles. Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail, and her uniform consisted of a polo, shorts, and an apron. She was deeply immersed in reading a celebrity tabloid, so she didn't notice it when William walked up to her and leaned against the counter. She didn't shift her gaze the slightest bit.

"Boo." A mischievous grin lifted on the corners of his mouth. It was another one of those crooked smiles that could send any girl's pulse racing.

The redhead gasped in response and dropped her magazine, a shocked expression plastered across her face. Looking up from the fallen issue, she found William chuckling to her turmoil and she punched his shoulder.. _hard_. Her brilliant green eyes narrowed at his awful joke as she straightened up as well, watching as William massaged his arm lightly. She shook her head, crossed her arms, and remarked, "Dude, William, that's so not cool."

Her face was reddening a bit, though. Yumi figured that almost anyone could give in to William's suave, no matter how annoying it was. "Sorry about that," he apologized, flashing her a cocky grin. His guilt was literally a fallacy. When she sent him another glare, he cleared his throat and gestured over to Yumi. "Natalie, this is Yumi. Yumi, this is Natalie."

The redhead gave Yumi a cordial grin as Yumi nodded to confirm William's statement. "Seems like we're both under the mercy of his irritating stunts," Natalie said to Yumi, nodding her head over to William. She then gave a laugh.

Yumi chuckled a bit as well, and William sent a hurtful look her way, though it was feigned. "Hey," he said. "Not cool, Natalie."

Natalie raised a fist to her mouth and receded into another fit of laughs. "You know I'm joking, William," she said. She then pulled out a pair of gloves. "What would you like, guys?"

Yumi scanned her eyes along the pizzas in the glass display, all looking equally delicious atop their pizza peels. Before she could pick one, though, William already decided what he wanted. "Just a couple of pepperonis, and we're done here," he replied.

Yumi backed away and shrugged. Hey, at least _she _wouldn't have to be the one to have a hard time picking. She watched as Natalie took four slices of pepperoni pizza from the display, the cheese gooey and stretching along where the slices were cut. She placed them on two beige glass plates and handed them over. "Here you go," she said with a smile. "Hey, Yumi, watch out, William is like a monster when it comes to pizza."

He sent her another playful glare and reached for his pocket to grab a few bills. "Dude, the joking's getting old," he said.

Natalie laughed. "Whatever," she said, shaking her head. "The pizza's on the house, William."

"Aw, thanks," he replied, reaching over to plant a warm kiss on her cheek. She blushed. "You're the best."

William led Yumi to a table. They sat down. "So how long have you known each other?" Yumi tried to ask without sounding jealous. She wasn't, really. She just met him, so it was kind of rash to start growing feelings for him, she reasoned.

"Since kindergarten," he answered simply, taking a bite out of a slice of pizza. "We and a whole group of friends are really close, so it's almost like we didn't know how life was before then." He smiled. "I'm sure you had friends like that back home."

Yumi frowned, reminiscing back to the time when she was still in Japan. She had a very small group of friends, and they were each very dear to her. It was nice, and she missed it. It was almost as if William could predict whatever it was she was thinking. "Yeah, I did," Yumi answered after a few seconds of silence. "I miss them a lot."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," he apologized after seeing her face, placing a hand on top of hers. Bringing up a tentative smile, he added, "And plus, you have me now."

Yumi looked up and mustered a weak smile. She laughed.

"Tell me about your life back at home," he brought up, wanting to change the subject.

So Yumi did. It felt good to finally open up to someone. Even Aelita couldn't offer the comfort William had, not knowing the slightest bit how it felt to be discriminated by her classmates. She felt so comfortable, so carefree around William -this date was therapeutic for her. He was a good listener as well, and was able to sympathize with her. William was an easy person to talk to, and he was really good with conversation.

When Yumi was done, William laughed. "I still can't believe a Lyoko girl agreed to go out with me," he said.

"A Lyoko _scholarship_ girl," Yumi corrected with a slight smirk. "Besides, there's nothing I would do that would make my classmates hate me any more than they already do. Plus, weren't you treated similarly? I expected you to be familiar with their ways."

William smiled. "Right," he said. "And believe it or not, things weren't that bad at Kadic for me."

Yumi rose an eyebrow. "Really? You're right, I don't believe you." It was really surprising that guys at Kadic had compassion for scholarship students at one time. Yumi couldn't even comprehend the idea. It took a few seconds for it to sink in.

"Really," William answered. "I had friends, too."

"That's impressive. I have Aelita and Emily, and that's pretty much it. Emily doesn't do much, and Aelita is always trying to get me to go out more. I've already agreed to go to this party on Saturday night that goes against my better judgement. I always end up getting injured at any party attended by any fellow classmates." Yumi sighed.

"Jeremie Belpois' party?" William asked.

"Yeah," Yumi nodded, pointing a finger at him. "How did you know?"

William laughed and shook his head. "Me and a few guys in town always find out about these 'gatherings.' We crash them for fun, and, usually, nobody notices."

Yumi thought that the idea was obnoxious, but knowing that William was probably going to be at the party gave her a sense of comfort. She wanted someone she was at a friends' basis with to be there. That way, she wouldn't feel so out of place. "So.. you're going, right?" she asked, trying not to sound whiny or desperate.

William shrugged and creased his eyebrows. "Ehh, I don't know," he answered. "I have a feeling that someone I'm not exactly at good terms with is going to be there..."

"What?" Yumi blurted out. She shook her head. "Is it Ulrich?"

William didn't talk. His face began to pale.

"What's going on between you two?" Yumi asked, even more curious than before. "What happened?"

William took a deep breath, his fist pressed against his lips. He seemed to be in deep thought, reluctant to answer. "It's about the real reason I got kicked out of Kadic," he finally replied.

Yumi took note of William's depressed state and shook her head. "...William, you don't have to tell me-"

"Maybe I should," he contradicted, putting down his pizza slice. "Either that, or people will start turning you against me."

"What?"

William sighed. "Just let me talk, okay?" He took another deep breath. "Sophomore year was my first year at Kadic. I met a lot of cool people, made a lot of friends. Ulrich had a reputation of being one of the most well-known in the student body, and... I gotta say that I was interested in meeting him. Believe it or not, we hit it off really well. We were friends in an instant." He snapped his fingers to emphasize it. "Only a few weeks into second semester, and Ulrich decided to take me into his home to meet his family. His father owns the largest marketing firm in Paris, and he even offered me a summer job. It was an awesome opportunity to make a couple bucks, plus it offered the experience that would look great on my college resumé. Ulrich absolutely loved the idea of having control over me, and he couldn't deal with the fact that I actually could be successful without his influence. He became jealous of the fact that his father treated me like another son, like a father he never had. Then, before I knew it, I was expelled from Kadic."

Yumi choked on her pepperoni. She disliked Ulrich, but she never knew he was capable of stooping this low. Her suspicions of his pompous disposition were proved right, but she wasn't glad. Not the slightest bit. "_Ulrich_ got you expelled from Kadic?!" she breathed out in utter shock.

William nodded, rubbing the space between his eyes. He lowered his head and kept his gaze from Yumi. A headache began to settle in.

"He can't just have you expelled for no reason, William," Yumi said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "How did he do it?"

He looked up and shrugged with ease. "How am I supposed to know?" he asked. "All I knew was that it was a phony charge, and that my family didn't have the money to hire an attorney. Plus, he was much more influential at the academy than I was."

"We can't let him get away with this."

"Why would it matter?" William asked, chewing on his pepperoni pizza. "It's already been done, and life's been a thrill lately. Really, Yumi, don't worry so much.."

Yumi sighed in response and clenched her fists. "I want to murder him," she declared. "How can you be so cool about this?"

"A rich kids' school just isn't my style," William answered simply, sending her a mischievous grin. "Crashing Saturday night's party is more like it."

Yumi smiled and gave a laugh. Those mere words gave her the luxury of comfort. Now she knew for sure that William was going to be at the party and give her company. That's all she wanted to hear. But all her mind really whirred about was how much of a jerk Ulrich was. How could Jeremie Belpois, the nicest guy she knew at Kadic, be friends with someone so... _cynical_? Surely he knew at least a bit about the situation.

The ride back to school was quiet. They were both too pensive to even utter a single word. When William pulled up at Lyoko's gates, he pulled on the brake, and said, "Well... good night."

Yumi frowned. She really didn't want the evening to end so soon. She actually enjoyed herself, being the respite from all of her wealthy, snobby classmates. She didn't want to go back to all that taunting. "..I had fun tonight," she answered, mustering a weak smile. "Thanks, William."

He gave a two-fingered salute, his other hand on the wheel. "No problem," he answered, giving her a small grin.

The two stared at one another in silence. Yumi clutched on her jacket as William looked into her with deep, empty eyes. Yumi suddenly felt a desire to be close to him, and her pulse raced. Before they knew it, the two were leaning in, waiting for their lips to meet. Yumi closed her eyes, waiting...

When their breaths began to mingle, the car horn went off, causing Yumi to jump with surprise. She looked back at William and rose an eyebrow, tucking strands of hair behind her ear. He shrugged back and began to snicker hysterically.

"You clumsy jerk." Yumi settled with giving him a kiss on the cheek and left the car. Looking back, she said, "Promise me you'll be there on Saturday night."

William smiled. "I promise."

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**Author's Note: Ohh, so did you all like that? Looks like the two are growing feelings for one another. -_- NOO! LOL, feel free to review, guys! :)**


	10. Guilty Pleasures

**Hey guys! Here's a filler-ish chapter. It's mostly just a nice break from everything else that's happening. ((: Hopefully, you'll all still like it, because there are still some stuff that's enjoyable in this chapter (I hope, haha). Well, anyways, this quote gave me chills. Not the kind that happens when something is super good and relatable, but the kind you get when you are creeped out. But it fit into the story, so I like it a lot. (:**

**Well, let's get to shoutouts to all the guests on this site, since this chapter is pretty terse! I haven't done those in a while.**

**Random Person: Heyy, what's up?! Hehe, thank you for your kind words- I'm relieved you find my Willumi scenes likable. I've been trying all in my power not to throw my laptop across the room because of how much I'm not a fan of the pairing. But yeah, I still find them cute, haha. (: And yesh, more Ulumi is coming!**

******Sunwhisper: Thank you so much! :) I've never read 'Pride and Prejudice,' but 'Prom and Prejudice' was inspired/ based off of that book. So I guess you'll say that I'm doing a parody of a parody, LOL. (;**

**bluedog197: Great theory you have there! Probably Ulrich does have another side of the story, but will it prove William's story to be the truth, or a lie? Hmmm...? Haha, I'm keeping that a secret! (; I'm sorry that I had to make you go through all the agony of reading all that.**

**Just a Reviewer: Thank you so much! Your reviews are awesome. Thank you as well for taking the time to put your theories into your reviews- I really enjoy reading them. Now all we gotta see now is if they're right (I'm keeping that a secret, MWAHAHA)!**

**Guest: Hopefully there's only one of you... Well, if there's more than one, then I'm thanking all of you! You guys are awesome!**

**Kim: Thank you so much! I've been trying really hard to pace everything and make the characters as consistent as I can. (:**

**Rosa: Thank you! I've really been trying to update as fast as I can- it's summer vacation now, so it's much easier. Phew!**

**Galkar: Hehe, thanks, dude!**

**I'm wondering if all of you are still following this story... hm... Well, anyways, I love you all! Let's proceed with the chapter. (:**

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_"By the time you swear you're his, shivering and sighing._  
_And he vows his passion is infinite, undying._  
_Lady make note of this -One of you is lying."_

-Dorothy Parker

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Chapter 9: Guilty Pleasures

Yumi told Aelita about William the next evening at dinner. She felt guilty keeping him in the shadows for so long. Unfortunately, instead of showing her friend support, Aelita didn't seem pleased.

Aelita rose an eyebrow and scanned her eyes throughout the dining hall, as if she was sifting through her thoughts. She wanted to put this nicely so as not to hurt Yumi, but still sound firm. Marveling at the crystal chandeliers which casted their golden light throughout the room like Allard's hall, Aelita kept her eyes from Yumi's expectant gaze. She took a deep breath and creased her eyebrows in concern. "Yumi," she began, "William Dunbar? I haven't heard great things about him..."

Yumi wasn't surprised. Ulrich could've told Jeremie who could've told Aelita a different story. "I didn't expect you to," she replied. She looked down at her salmon and began to cut into it. "Ulrich could've told you something different," she then muttered.

Aelita sighed in utter frustration at her friend's slight relapse of immaturity. "Yumi.. It could just be a simple misunderstanding," she answered as nicely as she could. "Jeremie would never be friends with someone who was so heinous. And plus, I don't ever think that Ulrich would do something like that."

Yumi put down her fork. "So that's what it's all about, huh?" she spoke in a slightly irritated tone, crossing her arms. She was annoyed that Aelita's crush on Jeremie made her no choice but to be biased about him. "You're just telling me this because if Ulrich really _did_ get William expelled, then Jeremie will be looked down upon."

"I didn't mean that..." Aelita trailed off, poking into her salmon. Seeing it ooze with thick oils, she settled with sipping from her tea. "I'm just worried, okay? I'll be sure to ask Jeremie about this, but it isn't exactly something he would talk about. So no promises."

Yumi rose an eyebrow. She was surprised that news of this never got out. "You mean you know _nothing_ about this rumor?" she asked.

Aelita's facial expression contorted into that of contemplation. "I _do_ remember that William was kicked out of Kadic and that Jeremie knew him through Ulrich, but that's pretty much it..." She sent Yumi another look of concern. "Yumi, please be careful, and give Ulrich a chance. Let him explain his side of the story. It's unfair of you judge him as the worst antagonist you've ever met."

Yumi broke off a bit of her salmon and examined it. "How can expulsion from school without reason be misunderstood?" she asked, challenging Aelita. "I don't think William would lie about something this serious."

Aelita sighed and ignored Yumi. They ate in silence for a few minutes. Then, Milly came marching over, waving about a stack of papers in one hand. She dropped the latest issue of the Kadic news in front of Aelita, beaming proudly at the fine print. It was the paper which held the latest reports (and gossip) circulating around both Kadic and Lyoko Academy, the paper in which Milly was the lead reporter. "Aelita, look at this!" she exclaimed, her pigtails bobbing about. "Isn't this great? Tamiya and I finally got the next issue printed!"

Aelita picked it up, an impassive look settling upon her face. She swallowed her last gulp of tea. Yumi watched intently as Aelita tried to brighten her face in support of Milly's success. She held back her laughter when she found it was feigned. "This is wonderful, Milly," Aelita complimented in a monotone voice. She _did_ believe that her sister possessed talent in writing stories, really, but she didn't care for all the pointless gossip the newspaper held.

Milly frowned. She yanked the paper out of Aelita's hands. "Fine, Aelita, if you don't care about my success, let me tell you about yours," she said. Aelita looked at her and rose an eyebrow. Milly couldn't stop beaming; she paused for dramatic effect. "I just called Mommy, and she told me that she was able to contact Cecile about your prom dress!" She squealed, clenching her fists. "Aren't you just _so_ excited?"

Aelita shot Milly a look. She instantly settled down. "Milly," she began quietly, "I haven't been asked to prom yet..."

Milly looked towards Aelita with wide eyes, making it clear that she was shocked. "You mean Jeremie didn't ask you, yet?" she asked, laughing slightly. "Wow, that guy really _is a nerd."  
_

"Milly!" Aelita shrieked, though she was already blushing bashfully. "He's just a little shy..."

Milly scoffed. She then looked over to Yumi, an expectant look on her face. Not getting the signal, Yumi took a sip of her hot chocolate, her eyebrow raised. "Well?" Milly began after seconds of silence. "Where are you going to get _your_ dress, Yumi?"

In response, Yumi simply shrugged. "I don't know," she answered. "I'm probably just going to shop at Galeries Lafayette, or fly back to Kyoto and grab something from Indulgi, but I doubt I'm even going."

Milly creased her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side, looking at the Japanese as if she just spoke gibberish. "But Yumi!" she whined, jumping in the air. "You can't possibly think that that'll be acceptable at a school like this!"

"Of course I don't," Yumi answered placidly, taking another sip from her hot chocolate. She exhaled deeply to rid of the burning sensation that slid down her throat. "I just find it ridiculous spending hundreds, or even thousands, of euros or yen on a dress that I'll only be using for one night." She then looked over to Aelita. "No offense."

Aelita ignored Yumi, and instead, glared at Milly. When there seemed to be no change in her demeanor, though, Aelita only sighed. "Milly..." she began. "You really need to start learning how to be sympathetic. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have these connections with designers."

Milly placed her hand on Aelita's shoulder. "Aelita, dear," she said, "this school is all about the connections you do and do not have." She batted her eyelashes and used the tone people used whenever they were stating the obvious to a mentally disabled person. "Oh, and by the way, Mommy also said that we will not be able to fly out to anywhere during spring break! Can you _believe_ that?!" she squeaked.

Aelita clenched her fists under the table. _"__Enough_!" she shrieked, whipping her head around to look at Milly hard in the eye. "You're sounding like an ingrate right now!" She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "You have to understand that Daddy lost more than half of his income after he stopped working for the government. Their work is wicked, and he finally understood."

Yumi knew just what she was talking about. Waldo Schaeffer, Aelita's father, used to work for a top-secret government project called 'Carthage,' a computer program whose main purpose was to intercept enemy communications. He was highly talented with computers, one of the greatest geniuses of their time, and that talent was applied for the wrong purposes. Aelita never understood the project, so she couldn't tell Yumi the whole story, but she knew it was highly confidential. Yumi was the only friend Aelita ever trusted the story with. And to cover up for his covert job, he was also an investor to the school.

Milly flinched from Aelita's sudden outburst. Her eye twitched. "But why should _we_ experience the damage?" she muttered, crossing her arms. "It's Dad's fault, not ours."

"Don't you ever _dare_ say that about our father again," Aelita threatened, having heard that comment. "He eventually realized his mistakes, Milly."

And like that, Aelita got up with her tray and placed it on the conveyor belt. Yumi followed. Sadly, her emerald eyes were glossed over with tears- it was clear that she used all the strength she had to forgive her father.

"Hey.. you okay?" Yumi asked, pulling Aelita into a compassionate hug.

Aelita sniffed and wiped away a tear. "Yes, thank you," she replied. "I'm really sorry about that, Yumi. I just don't know what I'm going to do about Milly... Jeremie told me to invite her as well to Saturday night's party, but I don't know..."

Yumi nodded. "I understand," she answered.

"You _are_ coming, right?" Aelita asked, pulling away and getting rid of her tears. "You'll have fun.."

Yumi sighed. Instantly, thoughts of William rose once again inside her mind. "Of course," she answered. She was looking forward to the party, but not for reasons that were exactly innocent. She knew she was betraying Jeremie, who was nothing but nice to her, but due to her excitement, she couldn't pay attention to it as much. The desire to spend more time with William made her forget all about the feelings of contrition she was supposed to be feeling at the moment.

She was going to have fun with William, and there is nothing that will keep her from doing so.

* * *

Jeremie's party was going to take place at the top floor of _Le Cheval Blanc_, a posh hotel that was the most popular for travelers that were visiting France for a while. _Du Gourmand_, the expensive, yet small restaurant that catered to all of Kadic's and Lyoko's needs was confined on that floor, _only_ letting in students that attended either school. Aelita, having her spirits risen by Jeremie's request for another date on Sunday, ended up forgiving Milly and invited her to the party after much debate with herself.

Aelita and Yumi spent most of the Saturday inside their dorms, dressing for the gathering. This was mostly because of the fact that Aelita wanted to look nice for Jeremie, and she wanted to pick Yumi's outfit -with many protests from her, of course. After hours of arguing, Yumi finally settled with something that _she_ liked and Aelita approved of, which was something that was almost near impossible a few hours ago.

Yumi threw on a sleeveless black top and burgundy mini shorts. Her black arm warmers edged with burgundy went down to her wrists, and her knee socks were decorated with alternating burgundy and black stripes. Over the socks she put on some black lace up combat boots, which were more sleek and detailed than her normal ones. Then, she clasped a chain necklace with a gray gemstone around her neck. It was much more elaborate than she would normally dress like- punk, but more chic. No matter how much she didn't want to admit it, she partially dressed like this in hopes to impress William.

Aelita, meanwhile, put on a soft pink trench coat jacket that went no lower than her waist over a white undershirt. It had a burgundy collar and cuff sleeves in the same color. With it, she put on a pair of skinny jeans and soft pink flats.

Aelita applied some mascara as Yumi stared disdainfully at the cluttered cosmetics that cluttered their vanity. Minutes of silence passed, and then Milly ran in through the door. Yumi was shocked to see her appearance. She was wearing a very short skirt that threatened to show off her...er, unmentionables, and her face was caked with so much makeup, even her older sister couldn't recognize her. She squealed loudly like her usual self, and Yumi had to cover her ears just so they wouldn't burst. "Ohmigod!" she yelled, fanning herself dramatically. "My first upperclassmen party! I'm like, so excited, and so ready to flirt with older boys!"

Aelita frowned and yanked a tissue from the tissue box. She then silently walked over to Milly, grabbed her face, and -literally- began to _expunge_ all of the artificial coloring on her face. "Milly," Aelita called calmly, "you look ridiculous."

In response, the redhead squirmed frantically in Aelita's grasp, trying her best to push her older sister away with her small hands. The pinkette wasn't deterred, though, as she said, "Oh, this isn't coming off. Come with me to the restroom, Milly."

"Aelita, stop it!" she half whined, half shrieked.

Yumi watched silently as Aelita dragged her little sister into their bathroom and closed the door behind her. Inside, there was a crash, then a scream, and then the running of water. Crying then ensued, and then, lastly, silence.

The pair of siblings walked out of the bathroom with Milly transformed. Luckily, Aelita managed to erase all the makeup from her face and then reapply a thinner, more natural-looking coat. She was also wearing a pair of leggings under that ridiculously short skirt, making her look a lot more appropriate. Aelita wrapped her hands around the edges of her hips triumphantly. "Yumi," she began, "Please tell me how much better Milly looks."

Yumi laughed. "You look beautiful, Milly," she answered.

In response, Milly stuck a tongue out to Aelita, her eyes shut tightly. Aelita remained impassive and clasped her hands together, unable to stop her constant smiling. Not even Milly's uncooperativeness could bring down her mood. "Well, are we ready?" she asked, once again examining herself in the mirror. When no one answered, she then grabbed her _Dior_ purse. "Well, then, let's go."

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**Author's Note: I'm sorry, guys, but I have to say that you guys will have to wait a while until the party! Who's pumped up for it? Haha, thank you so much for choosing to read this story, and for the kind reviews, favorites, and follows! :) I'll be sure to update once again as soon as I can! :)**


	11. Lie, or Truth?

**Hey guys! I am seriously freaking out about how hard writing is becoming for my fics. This chapter, I was stuck in fits of writer's block, and it was even worse for 'Mission Interference.' Oh, and I'm sorry for the slightly vulgar language used in this chapter. It's just that everyone is pissed, you know? Oh, snap! Now you're excited, aren't you? Haha, go ahead and read! Read!**

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_"No human being is constituted to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; and even the best of men must be content with fragments, with partial glimpses, never the full fruition."_

-William Osler

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Chapter 10: Lie, or Truth?

Crystal chandeliers pervaded the main room of _Du Gourmand_ with white light. It was a gorgeous sight. Antique french chairs adorned with ornate fabrics were paired with perfectly squared tables covered with simple white tablecloths, and large windows let in a panoramic view of the moon and ocean. Roses in glass vases and napkins folded in odd patterns were situated strategically atop the tabletops, the silverware not a hair out of place. The carpet was black, etched with intricate patterns that matched the chairs, and the ceiling was painted a matching gold, edged with black. Large, ebony columns polished to perfection distinguished the eating area from the dance floor, decorated with beautiful flowers. In the corner was a live band which played the classical music and a DJ who put on the hottest hip hop tracks.

When Aelita, Yumi, and Milly arrived, a majority of their classmates were already there, having the time of their lives. Proper chatter between the elite streamed throughout the room, mostly of topics that Yumi will most likely never get the chance to experience. She surveyed the crowd, looking for any sign of that head of navy hair, but nothing came up. Yumi frowned and checked her phone just in case she missed a text.

When she realized what the heck she was doing, Yumi shook her head and stuffed her phone back into her purse. She wasn't supposed to be the kind of girl that waited on a guy! She was independent, strong enough to deal with her classmates herself -if William didn't show up, so what?

Aelita rose an eyebrow, noticing Yumi's slight change in mood. She placed a hand on her hip. "Yumi, who are you looking for?" she asked.

_Briinnggg!_

The screen of Yumi's cellphone lit up to show a notification. It was a text from William. Unintentionally and completely ignoring Aelita's random inquiry, she unlocked her phone with a swipe of her finger and proceeded with reading the text:

_Yumi,_

_I'll be there in ten minutes._

_-Will_

Even with a text written in such brevity, it was enough to put a smile on Yumi's face. She shifted her gaze to find Aelita giving her a slight look of disapproval, her arms crossed. "What?" Yumi asked, slowly placing her phone back into her purse. "Why are you looking at me that way?"

"Yumi," Aelita began, "are you hiding something from me? Is everything okay?" A look of utter concern chose to settle upon her elfin features, bringing genuineness behind those seemingly useless questions. Unfortunately, it instantly released a wave of guilt in Yumi's direction as well. She didn't show it, though, as she tried to play if off.

"Yeah!" Yumi answered almost _too_ abruptly, giving Aelita a hair flip that was so out of character, it sent chills down both their spines. Aelita's frown only got bigger, though, as Yumi began to whistle 'nonchalantly,' her arms crossed behind her back. She tried her best to keep her gaze from Aelita's penetrating emerald eyes. "Let's just have some fun, Aelita," she said in a last desperate attempt.

Saving Yumi from another string of suspicious looks from Aelita, Jeremie thankfully arrived. "Hey!" he called, walking over to them from the dance floor. The blonde looked just dashing today in his gray and white flannel shirt and matching scarf, a pair of dark jeans completing his outfit. Thoughts of Yumi's uncanny behavior were thrown out the thousand dollar windows as Aelita settled with blushing bashfully and sending goofy smiles his way. Truth to be told, on the inside, she was freaking out about Jeremie's possible prom invitation tonight. And the possible thoughts of him not asking her yet once again lurked as well.

"Thanks so much for coming," he continued, giving Aelita and Yumi their own kisses on the cheek. He even bent down and gave Milly a hug. "Yumi, Milly, you both look great... A-and you too, Ae-aelita!" Jeremie was simulating Aelita's blushes subconsciously as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Tonight, he was freaking out as well- he wanted this night to be the night where he asked Aelita to prom.

Milly curtsied. "Why, thank you, Jeremie," she replied. "You're not so bad yourself!" She put her hand on her hip and gave him a wink which was a cross between an eye twitch and closing both eyes. Even so, Jeremie was still flattered.

As Jeremie's face began to flush once again, Yumi shifted her gaze over to Aelita, whose face was scrunched together in such an unusual expression, it looked as if she was going to vomit any second now. Unfortunately, Yumi couldn't help but agree. Her sister _cannot_ be flirting with the guy _she_ liked.

A server came up to the group with a tray of toasted brie lathered graciously in a thick pesto sauce. Milly instantly ripped her attention away from Jeremie and clawed one of her hands onto the platter. "Oh!" she exclaimed, stuffing one whole slice of the crunchy appetizer into her mouth. "This is delicious."

Jeremie laughed as Aelita's eyes got wider the more she ate. "That is quite an appetite your sister possesses," he whispered to Aelita.

Aelita crossed her arms, looked to the ceiling, and sighed loudly. She turned over to Yumi and gave her a look.

_Help._

Yumi instantly shot back to attention. She gave the room a once-over once again, looking frantically for any distractions that would keep Milly away. Everyone was in their respective cliques, giving Yumi their usual disdainful looks. She only glared back, even scaring some of them away. Yumi sighed, and turned her attention back to Milly. She nudged her on the shoulder. "Hey, Milly," she whispered, looking around the room. "I think I saw a server bring out a whole new tray of escargot. Looks good."

In response, the redhead clasped her hands together. "Oh, yay!"

And like that, she bolted for the waiter, leaving the three behind.

Yumi then leaned into Aelita. "Have fun with Jeremie," she whispered. "I'll keep an eye on Milly."

Aelita looked over to Yumi, a grateful smile on her face. It looked as if she was on the verge of tears. There was a pause, and then Aelita wrapped her arms around Yumi's neck, squealing with thankfulness. "Thank you..." she replied.

And like that, Aelita parted from Yumi and gave her one last smile. Then, she surprisingly took Jeremie's hand in excitement and dragged him over to one of the tables, causing the blonde to nearly trip over his shoes.

Yumi sat down on another one of the tables alone and found Emily entering through the door. She waved her over. Unfortunately, it was Herve who took the signal instead, and walked over to Yumi with a smile.

"Hello, Yumi," Herve greeted, readjusting his glasses. "Isn't it just a pleasant evening? The weather is just so immpeccable- not too humid, not too dry. The food is just so lavishing as well- have you tried the brie? It's certainly savory, relishing, especially that pesto sauce! Perfectly seasoned. It's also a pleasure to see you here tonight. You look very nice."

Yumi gave Herve a gracious smile in politeness. "It's nice seeing you as well, Herve," she answered, not knowing what to say.

He smiled back, not taking note of the awkwardness threatening to settle in. He motioned to the dance floor, thrusting his thumb in its direction. "Would you like to dance?" he then asked.

Yumi looked over to the dance floor and frowned. So many of her rivals were already there, probably ready to tick her off at any given chance. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with their grousing. Really, she found Herve to be a nice guy -except when he was following Sissi around, of course- but that wasn't enough to make her dance with him. That was when Emily came walking over. Yumi's face brightened up to the unforeseen distraction. "Um, hey, Herve," Yumi began, shifting her gaze over to Emily, "have you met Emily Leduc?"

Herve nodded and greeted her with a smile. They quickly exchanged brief greetings. Herve literally brushed off Emily, who didn't seem to care so much, and looked back to Yumi. "So?" he asked, gesturing with both hands to the dance floor. He rose an eyebrow. "Shall we proceed?"

Yumi restrained herself from sighing in exasperation. She didn't want to dance with Herve -not at a time like this. She didn't want William to think that she had her eyes set on someone else and back off. She really liked William, and she didn't want to drift away from him. Finding there was no other reason not to dance with Herve, Yumi wordlessly complied and tentatively took his hand. She grimaced when she found them to be very clammy from cold sweat.

Was he seriously nervous? Yumi scrunched her face in slight contemplation. He can't possibly be nervous around _her,_ can he?

When they arrived at the dance floor, a slightly elevated stage paneled with dark wood, Herve awkwardly wrapped his arms around Yumi's waist and pulled her close. Even worse, Yumi horridly found that Herve was at least a head shorter than her.

Curse her father's genes.

When they began to sway to a sweet piano piece, Yumi recognized it to be Bartok- one of her favorite composers. She slowly smiled and began to concentrate on the skillfully played variations rather than the awfully tricky situation she was stuck in. She imagined Emily watching several feet away with a tiny smile of utter amusement etched into her face. She grimaced once again. Herve continued to trip over his own feet rather than Yumi's- she almost sighed in sheer frustration. Herve should've realized how much of a mistake it was to invite one of the most well-known dancers of the school to dance with him when he couldn't even coordinate his own pair of feet.

"I apologize," Herve mumbled in random intervals, looking down at his feet. "I'm not a very good dancer."

"It's okay," Yumi insisted, guilt pondering the back of her mind from Herve's genuine effort. She continued with trying to make her moves less complicated as to make things easier for Herve. It didn't seem to work, though.

"You're certainly a fantastic dancer," Herve complimented.

"Thank you." Yumi smiiled slightly from the seemingly simple statement. It meant the world to her, even from someone as dorky as Herve. "It means a lot," she added.

The two continued to dance in silence for the next few minutes. Yumi drowned out all background noise and concentrated on Bartok's expertly crafted piece. Yumi then wrinkled her nose as Herve began to emanate an unpleasant body odor from what she guessed was his perspiration. She frowned, scrunching her eyebrows in pity for the guy.

"Thank you, Herve, but I'll be happy to remove the lady off your hands," said the random voice of a man. Low, masculine, yet suave. "I'll take it from here."

Yumi turned her head in surprise. It was William, looking drop-dead gorgeous in his black and white striped shirt, olive toned unbuttoned blazer, and navy slacks. "Surprise," he mumbled. A greeting which consisted of yet another one of his cocky grins happily invited Yumi. She couldn't help but smile, no matter how hard she tried to keep it back. This was mostly because William was handsome, and, heck, he knew it.

Herve seemed to sigh in relief and pulled away. Despite her wishes being fulfilled, Yumi slightly frowned in response. But washing away her slight offensiveness immediately, William bent into a bow and offered a hand out to her. It was the perfectest, cutest, _sweetest_ invitation. "Shall we?" he asked, directing her a wink.

Yumi's heart surged. Tears threatened to well in her eyes, though she refused to let them out. She never realized how much of a luxury kindness could be, and being _wanted_ by someone as cool as William brightened her spirits dramatically.

Finally, there was a nice respite from repeated put downs aimed at her lately, non-stop.

Yumi turned to look back at Herve. She was slightly hesitant. "Go ahead, Yumi," he answered, slightly downcast yet elated at the same time.

Yumi gave him an impassive nod and gingerly put her hand inside William's, flattered by the invitation. In response, he flashed a slight grin and gently intertwined his fingers with hers. Yumi couldn't help but reflect his smile.

Ulrich was already behind William before they could even go one step into their dance. He was looking equally gorgeous, yet casual in his olive-toned loose knit sweater over a white undershirt with cuffed sleeves and a collar, paired with black jeans and dress shoes. Yumi narrowed her eyes at the sight, not wanting him to ruin her night. He wouldn't dare.

Actually, he would.

Ulrich tapped William lightly on the shoulder. William turned in response, and, finding Ulrich there, he let go of Yumi's hands and sent him a hidden smirk. Ulrich only frowned, clenching his fists as if he was refraining from beating the living daylights out of this guy. Yumi frowned as well, disappointed that William was actually immature enough to want to deal with this guy.

"Hello," Ulrich greeted impassively.

"What's up, Ulrich?" William shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Long time, no see, huh?"

"Actually," he began, "it seems more like it's too short of a time... Would you care to join me outside?"

"Really, Ulrich-"

"My pleasure," William answered, cutting off Yumi's attempt at an interruption. She frowned as the two glared at one another and walked out the doors of _Du Gourmand._ Yumi's heart dropped.

Yumi sighed and sat herself down at her previous table, a strand of hair falling over her face. Sweeping it back behind her ear, she found Sissi, who was with Laura, sitting herself down across from her. The two weren't really friends; they were just happy to find that the two of them had a common goal of attacking Yumi, and, at other times, Emily. Sissi deemed Laura as too nerdy and uncool, and Laura deemed Sissi as too stupid and superficial. "What do you two want?" Yumi snapped. Her downcast expression immediately turned into that of anger.

"Well, that's a nice way to greet someone who wants to _help_ you." Sissi held her hands up in defense. "Fine, Yumi, if you don't want it, then I guess I'll _leave_."

"That's totally fine with me." Yumi clenched her fists under the table, along with her teeth. "I don't want your bullshit, Sissi," she fired back. "I don't ever recall another time where you actually cared about my well-being."

Sissi puffed up her cheeks and exhaled. "Fine, to tell you the truth, I couldn't care less about _you_," she confessed. Yumi cocked her head to the side and rose an eyebrow, satisfied that she pointed out right. "But I _do_ care about Ulrich," she continued. "I heard from Aelita that you have been hanging around William Dunbar lately."

Yumi rose an eyebrow and took a sip from her seltzer. "So?" she asked.

"_So_?" Sissi also rose an eyebrow, along with Laura. "Any talk about William literally _upsets_ him, after all he has done to him."

"Are you saying that it was _William_ who screwed Ulrich over?" Yumi asked. "I don't believe you."

"Choose what _you_ want to believe in," Sissi retorted, leaning over the table to look at Yumi hard in the eyes. "But let me tell you _this_: We _don't_ want him around. He's dangerous. I can't believe how much of a _bitch_ you're being, after how nice Jeremie has been to you. You have literally _ruined_ his party."

Yumi narrowed her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about, Sissi. So save it, huh?" Yumi got up from her chair. "I know about the rivalry between Ulrich and William, but why should I pay attention to that? It's not like I'm friends with Ulrich. So stop paying so much attention to who I hang out with, and find another pastime." She then began her walk away and looked back at the pair of them. "By the way, William wasn't going to bother anyone until Ulrich came up to him."

When Yumi was halfway to the doors of _Du Gormand_ to checks things out between William and Ulrich, Aelita was there to stop her, completely oblivious to the current situation. "Yumi!" she exclaimed over the beat of Zedd and Matthew Koma's song, '_Spectrum_'. She sent her a worried look. "What happened with Sissi? You two didn't look exactly the happiest of people..."

When Yumi finished retelling the whole conversation, Aelita sighed loudly, shaking her head. "Yumi..." she said quietly, "I really think that William isn't a person you should be hanging around with. I haven't been hearing good things about him."

Yumi squeezed the space between her eyes with her thumb and index finger. She shifted her gaze back up to Aelita. She couldn't believe that she was against her as well. "Why should we even believe Sissi?" Yumi retorted. "It's not like she has exactly been peachy with me."

"Yes, but still..." Aelita replied, looking over to Jeremie. He was sitting at a table at the opposite side of the room chatting comfortably with Laura. Yumi noticed that Aelita's face fell at the unexpected sight. "Jeremie told me that the story William claimed to be true was an complete lie."

Yumi frowned. Hearing that Jeremie _also_ thought the story to be a fabrication was really discouraging. Yumi found Jeremie to be a really nice guy, someone who wouldn't believe something that was untrue. But nevertheless, Yumi retaliated with, "But through Ulrich is the only way Jeremie got this information. He could've been lying."

Aelita crossed her arms and shot Yumi a look. "Yumi, Jeremie wouldn't have a reason to lie to me. And he's too close of a friend to Ulrich to even expose his past with William. He would rather keep it to himself."

Before Yumi could reply with what first popped into her mind, Milly was already there to interrupt her. "AELITA!" she yelled over the loud music, stuffing more food into her mouth. "Can you _believe_ that I'm the only sophomore attending this party? This will so bump up my status back at Lyoko Academy. Oh, what if I get asked to prom?!"

She was talking so loudly that even a few students turned to direct a glare towards her. Yumi blinked at the fact that they weren't for her and looked over to Aelita, who was turning paler by the second in response to her sister's behavior.

Yumi scrunched her eyebrows in concern. "Milly," she whispered. "I think you should lower your voice a little. You're not acting like a proper..._er_... Lyoko woman." Yumi almost purged her dinner at the fact that she even considered using that phrase. If Lyoko women were so proper, they wouldn't pull pranks immaturely at the scholarship students.

Milly put her hands on her hips. "I'm only having fun," she said defensively. "Loosen up a little, Yumi -you're so uptight." Then, unfortunately, Icona Pop's _'I Love it'_ came on. Milly pressed her palms against her cheeks. "Ohmigosh!" she exclaimed. "This is _the_ track from last summer's party that was so hot! I swear, the dance floor was manic."

Yumi and Aelita both looked up to the ceiling in exasperation. Aelita began to bite her lip in apprehension. Not letting anyone stop her, Milly bolted for the center of the dance floor and began a dance that was a mix between _'The Harlem Shake,'_ _'Gangnam Style,' _and_ 'The Dougie.'_ Aelita leaned her head against the wall and groaned. "Please make her stop," she mumbled.

Yumi watched in horror and pity for Aelita as Milly cleared away the area surrounding her, enjoying the undivided attention she was getting. In contradictory to what was going on through her head, many of the fellow students were smiling in amusement in response to her choreography rather than in amazement. Some of them even pulled out their mobile phones to videotape. Simultaneously, Yumi was slightly offended- she couldn't believe that_ this _was merged into the same group of art as the dances she was taught. Shaking her head, she decided to help Aelita and slowly walked over to the front of the crowd, taking much care towards not drawing so much attention to herself.

Meanwhile, in the parking lot of _Le Cheval Blanc:_

Ulrich and William spent a short time of awkward silences while riding down the elevator. The two of them wanted to get through this as fast as possible- their conversation wouldn't be as heated while they let the trip down gradually ebb away their edginess. William casually leaned against the railing in the back while Ulrich tensely stood up front, looking at the elevator meter intently as the numbers decreased.

When the meter read LOBBY, the doors opened with the ring of a high pitched bell. William instantly got up to a standing position and walked out, but not before Ulrich did.

The parking lot was a large block of space with the peripheries marked with towering white pillars and ficus trees. William leaned against a pillar in question, shooting Ulrich looks of taunt. "So..." he trailed off, "what is it you want to say to me?"

Ulrich clenched his fists, keeping his back to William. He didn't turn to see the evil smirk on the dark teen's face. There was a long fit of silence. "I thought that from last year you received the message to _stay_ _away_ from Kadic or Lyoko," Ulrich spat. "But it seems like it never got through to you."

The edges of William's lips upturned into a slight grin. He crossed his ams. "But we're not at Lyoko or Kadic, are we?" he asked.

Ulrich whirled his head and sent him a death glare. He refrained himself from lunging for William's lanky frame. "Cut the crap, will you, William?" he fired back. "You know what I mean."

William held his hands up in defense. "I was just keeping Yumi company," he replied, shrugging with ease. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I was protecting her from what you and your fellow elites do to her."

Ulrich turned and angrily grabbed for the collar of his blazer. He pinned William against the pillar. It didn't seem to intimidate him, though, for his grin was still dominant. "You stay away from her," Ulrich snarled. "Or I _swear_ I will keep you away. I don't want the same to happen to her."

William laughed coldly. "Oh, Ulrich, do you really think I'll be scared of _you_?" he taunted. "Besides, you told me I should respect the younger girls and go for the ones my age. I easily recall that Yumi, in fact, is clearly in my age group."

Ulrich scowled. "Of course I would say that to you," he hissed. "Especially after what you did to my-" Instantly, his face fell, clearing of all anger, and tears began to burn the back of his eyes. He shifted his gaze to the floor and willed himself not to weep in response to his heart becoming heavy. He didn't want to finish the sentence. It was all too painful.

"It's not _my_ fault that she was naive," William said, knowing fully what he was going to say without the slightest bit of sympathy. He sounded more like he was trying to provoke Ulrich. "Poor thing, she is." William feigned sadness by directing a fake frown. "Too bad her parents back in Africa didn't want her, and your parents ended up having to adopt her."

Ulrich lifted his gaze, his brown eyes literally beginning to shine with anger. "D-don't you fucking _dare_ talk about her that way," he quivered, having the hardest time steadying his voice. He clenched his jaw. "Sh-she was the sweetest, most innocent little thing, until you came in and took ad-dvantage of her."

"I didn't take advantage of her. She simply brought it upon herself." William's eyes took into that of boredom, and he jabbed his fist into Ulrich's stomach. As he doubled over in pain and threw impulsive curses, William simply stepped out of his grasp. "Are we done, Ulrich?"

"Leave the party," he spoke through his clenched teeth, still grasping his throbbing stomach. "I don't want Jeremie getting upset."

William held his hands up in defense. "Fine, whatever," he replied. "But I'm only leaving for Jeremie, not you."

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**Author's Note: I cannot thank everyone enough for all of your kind reviews, favorites, and follows. You guys are awesome! Hopefully, this has met your expectations, or even exceeded them. (: Oh, and just a certain fun fact: In the book, the character William is portraying (George Wickham, also known as Wick) didn't show up to the party because of his fear of the character Ulrich is portraying (Will Darcy). I was thinking of doing the same, until I found out how excited you guys were about William crashing the party from your reviews. Also, I found it really out of character for William to be scared of Ulrich. It isn't exactly something he should be feeling. So, you're welcome. (:**

**Thanks for reading, guys! ;)**


	12. Stolen

**Hey guys! Thank you for all of your kind reviews! :) Here's the next chapter! Truthfully, I really didn't expect this to be this long, LOL. Hopefully, you guys will enjoy it? Happy reading! :)**

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_"Try to understand men. If you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and almost always leads to love."_

-John Steinbeck

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Chapter 11: Stolen

"Um, Milly," Yumi called as the redhead kept up with her disturbing dance moves. She clenched her fists in irritation and exhaled deeply. "MILLY!" she hissed.

Yumi frowned as some students turned heads her way to send her glares. So much for not attracting attention. Meanwhile, Milly still didn't seem to hear, more so listen to her. Yumi sighed and creased her eyebrows as her concern for Aelita continued to grow.

Whistles from the Kadic boys and laughs from the Lyoko girls erupted from the crowd as Milly concluded her horrific dance with full-on jazz hands. Thankfully, the music had stopped, and Milly gave a deep bow to the audience, as if she really did impress them rather than provide them with laughable entertainment. Yumi cringed at the cheesiness of it all, then reached out and abrasively clamped her fingers around Milly's bony wrist. The redhead yelped in alarm, but Yumi didn't seem to care the slightest.

Yumi yanked Milly back into the crowd, away from the center of attention. When she was out of everyone's sights, Milly shifted her gaze to stare daggers at Yumi, who she thought was trying to take away the fabulous attention she was getting. Milly put her hands around the edges of her hips. She glared at Yumi. "That was so uncool," she whined, stomping her feet in irritation.

Yumi crossed her arms and glared back, not letting the younger girl get the best of her. She scoffed. "You should be _thanking_ me, Milly," she retorted. "You were a laughingstock out there!"

Milly rose an eyebrow. "I was a star!" she shrieked, motioning towards the dance floor.

When Yumi looked up to the ceiling, Aelita was at their side in seconds. Her lips were pressed together in a thin line, and her hands were on her hips. She glared at Milly silently for a few seconds, then grabbed her wrist and dragged her out the doors of _Du Gourmand._ Yumi looked in its direction and shook her head in shame.

William sauntered over to Yumi before she even began her leave to help Aelita. He quickly planted a chaste kiss on her cheek, then began his way to the door. Yumi sent him a look of question. "Where are you going?" she asked, slightly unhappy by the fact that he was leaving even though she was as well.

"I have to go," he answered impassively -not depressed or happy the slightest. "Ulrich told me that since I wasn't invited by Jeremie, I'm not welcome around here. So it's best I leave."

"It didn't stop you from going before," Yumi pointed out. "And I don't think Jeremie-"

Before Yumi could finish her sentence, William grabbed her upper arm and pulled her close until their faces were mere inches apart. Yumi stared at him blankly for a few seconds, both thinking and hoping that he would kiss her, but instead, he pressed his finger against her glossed lips, silencing her. There was a look of seriousness upon his face as he then tenderly swept a strand of hair out of Yumi's eyes, revealing their brown brilliance. "I really want to stay with you, Yumi," he began. "You're wonderful, but if I stay, things will get _really_ messy."

Unfortunately, Yumi wasn't given the chance to reply. She received from William one last kiss on the forehead, and he was out the door.

Yumi stared in daze in the direction from where he left. She didn't know what to think. That is, until Ulrich came walking through the door, acting as if nothing had ever happened. Yumi's mind immediately filled with thoughts of disdain.

Surprisingly and unnerving Yumi, he sauntered over to her and kindly offered a hand. Yumi looked down at it in question, debating over what the heck he was planning. She rose an eyebrow, still not moving an inch in his direction. Then, she frowned and looked away, her arms tightly crossed over her chest.

Ulrich stayed in his position, still not the slightest bit deterred. As if Yumi didn't understand the question, he went all out and asked, "Would you care to dance with me?"

"...I don't want to dance with you," Yumi spat. Ulrich's face fell in response, but he quickly receded back to impassiveness. "Besides, I have to help Aelita with Milly. The two of them left just a few minutes ago," she added.

Ulrich creased his eyebrows and straightened his posture. "Excuse me for a minute," he said, walking away. Then, he looked back and added, "Stay here."

Yumi frowned. How rude, especially since she had other things to do! "Fine," she sighed. "But I'll only give you a few minutes."

Ulrich nodded slowly then left. Emily approached behind her after with a smile on her face.

"Having fun?" she asked with a slight smirk.

Yumi scoffed and gazed blankly at the wall. "So much fun," she said sarcastically.

Emily peeked behind her. "Who _was_ that, anyway?"

Yumi sent a glare his way. "Ulrich Stern," she muttered with pure repugnance.

_"That's_ Ulrich?" Emily asked in surprise. She rose an eyebrow. "Yumi, he's gorgeous... And, clearly, he likes you."

Yumi put a hand on her hip and waved off Emily's remark. Ulrich? Gorgeous? She never saw it in him. "Oh, please..." she replied. "Plus, he probably just left so that he could prepare the prank he wants to set off on me."

Emily chuckled. "You're blushing," she pointed out.

Yumi's eye twitched, ticked off by the mere statement. "No, I'm not." She clenched and unclenched her fists as if she could easily channel out the anger she wanted to use on Emily. Unfortunately, she could _now_ feel the blush creeping up on her cheeks and spreading to the tips of her ears, proving Emily right. She began to quickly run her fingers through her hair to play it off, but it only showed more of her false feelings for Ulrich. "_No_, I'm not," she repeated, more firm this time.

Emily nodded slowly and pointed behind her, a slight smirk on her face. "Oh, look, he's heading towards you," she said, a slight tone of tease behind it.

Yumi turned to look behind her in direction towards the dance floor. Proving Emily right once again, there was Ulrich, standing close to the stage, gazing back at Yumi attentively. He thrust his thumb in the direction of the dance floor and then walked onto it, disappearing to merge in with the rest of the crowd.

Yumi veered to look at Emily, slightly alarmed. "Am I supposed to _follow_ him?" she asked.

_"Yes,_ Yumi," she breathed out in reply. Taking the initiative, she started to nudge Yumi in direction towards the dance floor. "Will you just go?"

"But what about Aelita?" Yumi stepped out of Emily's grasp and began her way towards the doors. "I need to check on her."

Emily shook her head and walked ahead of Yumi. "I'll do it, don't worry" she assured, going out the door. "Have fun with Ulrich!"

Yumi sighed and slumped her shoulders. Was she really going to do this? For all she knew, Ulrich was the reason William left. He was the reason for her ruined night.

But despite her better judgment, her feet propelled themselves towards the dance floor, stopping in front of Ulrich against her own will. Yumi didn't know what to say, more less of where to start.

"Um, hi," she greeted impassively, lifting her hand in a half wave. It was like her words -her mind, had a conscience of their own. Like she had no control of her body. She was in a daze as Ulrich comfortably slipped his arms around her waist and unintentionally pulled her close until their faces were mere inches apart. Yumi found that Ulrich was thankfully a few inches taller than her, and he had to lower his head a little to level his gaze with hers.

Suddenly, a feeling Yumi didn't know what to call flourished between them by the mere motion of eye contact. It reluctantly rose inside her, giving her a feeling of.. _warmth._ It was much different from what she felt when she looked at William; Ulrich gave her a sense of comfort while William made her nervous, like she couldn't be comfortable acting like herself. She always felt like she had to work to impress him. As much as she didn't want to admit it, there was a wordless link she had with Ulrich, no matter how many times they fought...

Yumi, not knowing what she got herself into, was embracing with a guy she utterly disdained, _loathed._ But nevertheless, she couldn't bring herself to pull away.

"I see that you made it home okay the other night," Ulrich began, breaking the slightly uncomfortable, yet comfortable silence between them. Yumi's eye twitched at the smooth baritone of his voice -it was enough to almost set off the urge she had to lash out on him once again.

Yumi broke away from his gaze, angered at herself. She wasn't going to give him the impression that he was at good terms with her now! After all, his initial reaction to the fact that she was a scholarship student _always_ managed to irk her to the point where her blood boiled. "Yes," she answered pungently, aggressively. "Thank you for worrying about me." _Like he cared!_

Yumi creased her eyebrows. She was utterly confused; the reason why Ulrich was suddenly so nice to her was beyond her own field of knowledge. It maddened her. The nicer he got, the lesser the reasons she had to hate him.

Looking around everywhere but in Ulrich's direction, Yumi found herself to be looking at at least half a dozen girls with narrowed eyes directed towards her. She also couldn't believe it when some of them had clenched their fists, their faces scrunched in envy. Yumi sighed.

"Just so you know, Aelita's alright," Ulrich randomly brought up, causing Yumi to shoot her gaze right back at him. "Jeremie's trying his best to keep her company."

Yumi nodded, a hesitant smile on her face. "Thank you," she whispered almost inaudibly, reluctantly. "I was worried."

Ulrich nodded, the slightest glint of expression failing to stand out in his brown eyes.

For the next several minutes, they swayed slowly to the music in silence. It was the piano piece that Ulrich was playing back at the cottage, a song that Yumi didn't recognize. She almost gasped at the surprise when she saw the piano player slightly stumble over the keys, much less talented and smooth than Ulrich.

Yumi realized before that Ulrich played the piece impeccably. She shook her head at the thought and chose to ignore it. Instead, she chose to focus on the scenario at hand. Dancing with Ulrich didn't seem like something she would ever dream or think of. "..I can't figure you out at all, Ulrich," Yumi admitted, hardening the stare she kept on him. "You make absolutely no sense."

"And _you_ do?" he retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"It's just that..." Yumi lowered her gaze to show that she was deep in thought. "The whole situation with William seems bizarre, you know? Why did you make him leave?" That was when Yumi decided to lift her gaze again, narrowing her eyes at the mere sight of the guy. "You can't act like nothing happened back there."

"Can we talk about something that doesn't end in an argument?"

"The last time I checked, that was established as close to impossible."

Ulrich sighed in defeat, slightly annoyed. "William Dunbar..." He spat the name like it was bile in his mouth. "He's not the kind of person for someone to be hanging around with."

Yumi took a deep breath, trying her best to calm herself. "Why not?" she asked coldly.

"He's really good at making friends," Ulrich began, his facial expression gradually turning into that of pity, "but keeping them has always been the problem."

Yumi's eyes flashed with anger. "And why is that?" she seethed. She pulled away from Ulrich, turned her back to him, and clenched her fists. "Is it because he's a _scholarship_ student that makes him someone who's not 'worthy' of your time?" She scoffed. "I was right about you. You, just like everyone else, have a problem with people that don't have money."

Ulrich slightly flinched from the remark. Yumi blurted it out so quickly, she didn't stop to realize how cruel and unfair she was being towards Ulrich. But she didn't care. Ulrich looked down towards the floor. "I guess you really don't understand me at all," he said quietly. He then lifted his gaze and glared at Yumi. "But I don't have to explain myself to you."

"That's totally fine with me," Yumi fired back. "I guess we're a lost cause." She turned sharply on her heel and swiftly walked out the door, leaving Ulrich behind.

Will they ever get along without one single argument? Yumi sighed at the thought, exhausted.

With her fists clenched, Yumi entered the chilly winter night outside of _Le Cheval Blanc_. Despite the cold eating away at her skin, she could feel nothing but heat rising to her face and spreading everywhere on her body. She was angered at how everyone was against her being with William. Was he really all that bad? No, he wasn't. And why was Ulrich always acting like the innocent one? If only he would just explain himself, maybe she'd like him. But his way of keeping secrets was the way he wanted to go, so Yumi had no _choice_ but to hate him.

All thoughts of Ulrich were cast aside when Yumi spotted Aelita and Jeremie on the curb, sitting next to one another. The pinkette was hugging herself, partially to protect herself from the cold, but mostly to keep herself from bursting and going insane from the embarrassment caused my Milly. Her face was wretched into that of mortification as Jeremie tried his best to comfort her, his left arm wrapped around her fragile body.

Yumi walked over to them and bent down so that she was at Aelita's eye level. She put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey.." Yumi said, slightly frowning. "You okay?"

Aelita shook her head, her short hair ruffling in the breeze. She looked like a helpless little girl. "I'm so humiliated," she despondently replied. She shifted her gaze to look into Jeremie's blue eyes. "I'm so sorry all this had to happen during your party, Jeremie."

He nodded, the faintest of smiles resting on his face. "It's fine, really, Aelita," he replied. "She's young, after all."

"Where is Milly, anyway?" Yumi asked.

"She ran off when she I was trying to coax her to calm down," Aelita replied. She sighed and looked up into the stars. "I don't know where she is. She has no respect for anything -me, you, Jeremie, the school..."

"Are you ready to come back inside?"

"No." Aelita placed the back of her hand atop her forehead. "I think I have a bit of a headache. It'd be best if I just left."

Yumi shook her head. "I'll come with you," she offered. "Just let me get my coat from the rack."

The dark-haired girl handed the tickets over to the coat check person, who responded with an impassive nod and disappeared into the back to retrieve her coat. Yumi, at the meantime, waited impatiently, her arms crossed over her chest. The cold continued to uncomfortably nip at her skin while she tapped her foot against the concrete. She frowned in annoyance.

The lady who worked at the stand came back to the front, biting her lip. Yumi rose an eyebrow when she found her hands empty. Her coat was no where to be seen. "I'm sorry, but the coat isn't here."

Yumi widened her eyes. "B-but I gave you the ticket," she replied, a little shocked. "It has to be back there."

"Can you describe it?" she asked.

Yumi took a deep breath. "It looks like a trench coat, though made of cotton. It's black."

She widened her eyes and swallowed hard. "What brand was it?"

Instantly, Jeremie, Ulrich, and Herve walked up behind her. What great timing... Yumi took a deep breath. "It was K-Mart," she answered. Her Japanese relative who immigrated to the U.S gave it to her as a Christmas present when they visited Yumi's family in Japan. She swallowed and clenched fists. There's no use in hiding it.

"What happened?" Jeremie asked.

The lady was chalk white at this point. She shifted her gaze to Jeremie. "Um.. I can't find her coat," she said. "...A few girls _did_ come out to retrieve their coats a few minutes ago, and... they identified her coat as theirs. I just thought that... well.."

Yumi understood. No one would lie that they had a coat like hers, especially a coat not that grand. They would never be caught dead in anything they would call 'the charity cases' prized possessions.'

That mere statement caused Jeremie's facial expression to darken immediately. "What?" he said, shocked. He walked to the back of the stand, grabbed the ticket, and began to search for Yumi's coat himself. He emerged with his hands empty as well. "I can't believe that something like this happen during my party," he said, appalled. "I want to see the manager."

"That isn't necessary," the lady said, paler now.

"Just forget about it," Yumi said, barely able to stiffen her jaw. She clenched her fists even tighter. "It wasn't my favorite anyway."

Jeremie turned to look at her. "I'm so sorry, Yumi," he apologized. Jeremie then pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and began to dig into it for a few euro bills. "Just at least let me pay for it."

Herve began to shrug off his jacket. "And take this," he insisted.

Yumi waved off their offers. "I don't need it," she said. "But thank you."

"But you don't have any sleeves on you," Herve pointed out. "You'll freeze."

"I'll manage," Yumi replied. "I'm just going to go now. Thank you for inviting us, Jeremie."

As Yumi and Aelita walked home, she couldn't help but get maddened at the entire situation. Once again, her lack of money was used to her classmates' advantages, and now, they'd stolen from her.

The cold air pierced through Yumi's skin, causing her teeth to chatter.

Out of all the things they could've done, this was the worst.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm really sorry to all the people who were getting really impatient on Ulrich and Yumi's relationship. Yes, they're not exactly growing as chums yet -they still hate each other, more so Yumi hates Ulrich, but Ulrich is just trying to be nice.. So yeah. I apologize for that! Hopefully, I will be able to put up my next update pretty quickly. (:**

**Thanks for reading, guys! (:**


	13. Canceled Plans

**Hey guys! Thank you again for all of your kind reviews! You all are awesome! I apologize if a few words are arranged awkwardly -I wrote this quickly, to say the least. But, I still find it decent. :D Enjoy!**

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_"Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. " _

-Kahlil Gibran

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Chapter 12: Canceled Plans

Yumi spent the next day at work brewing coffee, whipping up lattes, warming up cappuccinos, and, mostly, pondering mindlessly about the events of the night before. Questions drilled their way into her head until she got a minor headache: What _was_ the cause of William's abrupt departure? What transpired over those few minutes that William and Ulrich were left alone outside? Would she _ever_ stop being everyone's target for drama?

Also, her hatred towards Ulrich was gradually ebbing -and she hated herself for that.

Once the cafe was empty, Yumi propped her elbows atop the counter and dug her fingers into her hair. Her mind was exhausted, and she needed time to relax a bit. She faced the black marble top and closed her eyes. Unfortunately, all that did was give her the full ability to visibly replay the events in her head. She sighed in frustration.

Odd noticed, of course. Turning back to look at Yumi from the clutter of coffee-making machines, he slung his rag over his shoulder. "Hey, Yumes," he began, "You okay?"

Yumi instantly perked up, his high-pitched, yet masculine voice jolting her back to reality. "Yeah," she answered, swallowing hard and nodding her head. "Just a little headache, that's all."

Odd bobbed his head to the background music. His eyes brightened up with a sudden idea. "You wanna hear a joke?" he asked excitedly.

Yumi sighed in response and creased her eyebrows. "Really, Odd," she began, "your jokes aren't even funny."

"Aw, c'mon," he whined, walking over to her and poking her in the side. Yumi flinched from the slight ticklish sensation. "I swear it'll make you laugh, or smile, at the least."

Yumi's lips upturned into a slight grin. She sighed again. "Fine," she answered, waving her assent. "Go ahead."

"Yes!" he fist pumped the air then rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Okay, here it goes: Why do some idiots take a car door with them when they go to the desert?"

Yumi rose an eyebrow. She gave Odd a look and asked in an uncaring tone, "I don't know. Why, Odd?"

Suddenly, Odd began to uncontrollably laugh. "So they can open the window when it gets hot!" he answered. He poked her in the side. "C'mon, Yumes! It's funny!"

Yumi sighed and shook her head as Odd bursted into fits of laughter. It looked as if he was going to explode. Her lips couldn't help but form a slight smile -not at the joke, but at Odd's optimistic qualities and unending happiness. When she thought about it, she never saw him depressed from work. Yumi made a mental note to go to him whenever she felt the slightest bit despondent.

When Yumi left for home, Herve was waiting for her outside. She rose an eyebrow and her heart skipped a beat; the gesture was nice, but slightly creepy as well. "Hey..." she cautiously trailed off, advancing towards him slowly. "How are you, Herve?"

"I'm doing great, Yumi, thank you," he replied. Herve then gestured to her red coat. It was Aelita's (the farthest she could get from pink), and, thanks to last night, Yumi now has to use it for the rest of the winter. It was too short and a little too tight as well. Nevertheless, it still did the job. "I see that you haven't found your jacket yet."

"Yup," Yumi simply answered, emphasizing the 'p' with a pucker of her lips. She then walked over and sat down with Herve on the bench, since it seemed like this was going to take a while. She took attention as to not sit too close as to make herself uncomfortable and not too far to offend Herve. "So what's up?"

Herve gripped the edges of the bench until his knuckles were white and began to drag his feet across the floor. He kept his gaze from Yumi and focused it completely on the dingy concrete. "I well -I wanted to ask you something," he began, swallowing hard.

Yumi's stomach dropped. She really hoped that what she was thinking was not going to be proved right. She furrowed her brow as a bead of cold sweat glided down the left side of Herve's face. "And what will that be?" she asked, trying her best to sound oblivious -and to hide her sudden uneasiness. She swallowed hard and gazed out ahead at the traffic lights.

"I-" Herve was at a lost for words. A lump formed in his throat. Stiffly, not knowing what to do, he got off the bench, shuffled over until he was directly in front of Yumi, and bent down in a proposal gesture. Yumi kept her gaze from him and looked to the right without turning her head. Well, this was awkward, and it was clear that Herve had never done this before. Yumi's breathing hitched. "What I wanted to ask you was... Will you do the honor of going to prom with me?" He squeaked it out so quickly that it was almost incoherent for Yumi, but she quickly got the message.

"Well, um..." She trailed off, looking to the ground in embarrassment. She used her hair as a curtain that she hid behind. "I'm-"

"I-I think we'll be a great match," he cut in, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "And I know that you'll have problems with the dress, but I'll be more than happy to pay for it, and other necessities needed for this momentous occasion. I find you most interesting, and curious. I've never met anyone like you."

"Herve..." Yumi stood up and placed her hand on his cheek. "I'm flattered, but I will have to decline." She said this while looking away from him. She felt awful, but going to prom with Herve was an even worse thing. She didn't think that prom with him would do her good.

Herve's expression instantly dropped at the rejection. His eyebrow twitched. Clearing his throat, he stood up but still didn't meet Yumi's line of sight. "B-but I don't understand," he began, pulling on his collar for air. "I just thought that you would have a hard time finding someone else to take you." He then smiled and scoffed. He shifted his gaze towards Yumi again. "And really, do you even _think_ that you will be given any more offers?"

Yumi clenched her fists. How dare he say that! She took a deep breath, counting the seconds it took until she would definitely burst. Fortunately, she didn't. She opened her eyes again and glared threateningly at Herve. "No," she began in a cold tone, "I don't think I'll get more offers. But I don't care. I don't think I'll have fun at prom anyway, so I think you should ask someone else. Sissi, I know is still available, considering that Ulrich wouldn't accept her offer anytime soon."

Yumi turned on her heel and began her walk back to Lyoko. "I already asked her," Herve said, pausing Yumi's walk and wringing his hands. His face dropped. "She declined."

She furrowed her brow and inhaled deeply through her nose. Then, ignoring Herve's last statement, Yumi continued her shuffle to home.

* * *

By the time Yumi got home, it was nearly ten. Despite the late hours (well, at least for a school night), she surprisingly found Emily in her room as well. She instantly jumped up from her chair and threw her reading book on Yumi's bed. She clapped her hands together in anticipation. "Finally, you're here!" she exclaimed.

Yumi slumped into Emily's vacated chair in exhaustion. She was too tired to talk and wanted to get straight to bed. Instead, she simply nodded. She rose her eyebrow as to signal Emily to go on.

Alternately, Aelita stood up from her bed and began to talk. She pointed to the package sitting atop Yumi's black comforter, her smile getting wider with excitement. "This was sent to us about an hour ago, and it was addressed to you!" she squeaked. "That's why we've been so impatient."

Yumi turned her head to find that a package _was_ really there. She rose an eyebrow and sat up, her exhaustion ultimately disappearing because of the sudden surprise. "But I didn't order anything," she replied, walking over to pick it up. The present was wrapped in a beautiful plum box decorated with pink cherry blossoms, tied off with a simple white ribbon bow. Yumi pulled at the ends of it, undoing the intricate curves. Once the cover was freed, she removed it and peered inside. "Oh my God," she breathed out.

It was a beautiful black woolen coat with a double white folded collar. Buttons lined the whole left edge, and the coat went halfway down her thighs. Aelita's eyes sparkled with envy. Emily just sighed with pleasure. "You'll look beautiful in it, Yumi!" Aelita exclaimed. "It's beautiful."

Yumi gingerly placed the coat on her bed and continued with digging deeper into the box. "There's no card telling me who it's from," she pointed out in slight disappointment. "But I think I have an idea of who got this for me."

Aelita looked up. "It wasn't me," she pointed out. "It could've been from Jeremie, but I don't get why he would not leave a name.."

Yumi shook her head. It cannot be just a mere coincidence that the pattern of the box exactly matched the stationery she bought when she was at the store with Ulrich. She grimaced at the thought of the brutal argument, and, instantly, guilt filled the corners of her mind. She sighed deeply and folded the coat. She put it back it the box. "I can't take this," she said. "It's from Ulrich."

Emily gasped. "What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing's going on," Yumi retorted, clenching her fists. "But I don't see why..."

"Hold on," Aelita cut in. "How do you know it's from him?"

Yumi sighed. "That day at the cottage, Ulrich took me to buy a pack of stationery. The exact print I chose is identical to the print of the box."

Aelita rose an eyebrow. "Or, someone else could've took a look at your schoolbag and realized that you like that print a lot."

"Oh," Yumi shifted her gaze to said bag and found that Aelita was right, as usual. She's gotta admit, that _is _a possibility. Once again, Yumi's stomach dropped when she realized another likelihood. "It's from Herve," she declared, sure of it this time. "He asked me to prom..."

Aelita rose both eyebrows and smiled. Emily cupped a hand over her mouth in surprise. The pinkette walked over to Yumi, grabbed her hands, and began to hop up and down in happiness. "Yumi!" she screamed. "You have a date to prom!"

"Shh!" Yumi hissed. "Everyone's asleep at this hour." She looked around, as if to scope for any sudden awakenings. Finding it as dead silent as before, she continued, "I'm sorry to say this, but I declined the invitation." That's when she told them about the whole thing -about how rude she was, how thoughtful Herve was, and her sudden leave.

"I can't believe you said no..." Aelita trailed off, disappointed. "I mean, we could've doubled up together. Jeremie and I-" She blushed a little, causing her to mumble the other half, "-and you and Herve."

Yumi sighed. "I know. But I can't keep this. He's too generous. Anyway, I don't think he'll have fun with me. I'll only cause trouble."

"We're scholarship students, Yumi," Emily pointed out. "We have to get used to it."

Yumi sighed, "I guess-"

_Brringg!_ Yumi's phone went off. She sighed in utter exhaustion and leaned against the door. Slowly pulling it out from inside Aelita's coat's pocket, she checked the caller ID and found out it was William. Smiling and shaking off her tiredness, she opened the door after excusing herself and went out into the hallway for some privacy. She then shuffled all the way to the elevators so that Emily and Aelita couldn't hear her through the door.

She picked up the call. "Hey, William," she answered with a smile. "What's up?"

"I'm surprised you're still talking to me after I left the party so soon," William answered with a laugh. His smooth voice instantly provided Yumi with comfort, washing all of her worries away. It was relaxing. "Are you okay?"

Yumi was thrown off by the question. "Yeah, it was fine," she answered. "And just so you know, I forgive you."

"That's very nice of you." There was a brief pause. William sighed. "Look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for leaving you back there. I just didn't want to cause you so much trouble, what with Ulrich and everything."

"I get it," Yumi answered, nodding her head. "Don't worry about it -I have a hard time with Ulrich as well." She then felt her phone vibrate again. It was a text from Emily, telling her to come back. Aelita needed her. "Listen, William, I'll call you back," she added.

"You're going to have to."

Yumi nodded and ended the call. She immediately began her rush back to her room. Halfway back, though, she heard a few laughs coming from a room a few doors down, along with a few mentions of Aelita.

Curious, Yumi snuck up and pressed her ear against the door. She quickly identified the voices as Laura's and Sissi's:

"Hey, thanks _so_ much for coming out tonight, Laura," Sissi said. "I know that you and Jeremie will _totally_ get along well. That pink-haired mouse isn't _near_ as smart as you -she doesn't stand a chance! Plus, her _reputation_ has been spiraling out of control lately, and Jeremie _so_ deserves someone better."

There was a pause, then a hesitant laugh from Laura. "You really think so?" she asked happily.

"I _know_ so!" she exclaimed back. "Now, time to get you all _pretty_..."

Yumi retreated from the door and rose an eyebrow. She shook her head, thinking nothing of it. Her mind still frustratingly stuck to the brief conversation, she slowly began her walk back to her dorm. When she opened the door, she found that Aelita was there, sitting on her bed, a shocked look on her face.

"Aelita." Yumi shut the door behind her and sat across from the pinkette. "What's wrong?"

Aelita only shook her head and took out her cellphone. A few swipes, and she showed the screen to Yumi.

_Aelita,_

_I'm sorry, but I can't make it tonight. A lot of things are going on. We'll be in touch._

_-Jeremie_

"Oh, Aelita..." Yumi trailed off, furrowing her brow. She just didn't know what to say. This was so unlike Jeremie. "I'm so sorry..."

"He never even asked me to prom," Aelita said, looking down at the floor. "I don't know what happened."

Yumi thought about it for a second. That was when she paled. She just remembered the conversation she overheard a few minutes before. Sissi mentioned Laura meeting Jeremie tonight.

At the same time as when the date he has with Aelita was supposed to happen.

There was a pause. "Aelita, there is something I have to tell you," Yumi began. "I overheard Sissi telling Laura about the gathering they are having tonight... Maybe that's why Jeremie had to cancel things."

Aelita's blood ran cold. "So that's it, huh?" she asked. "Jeremie likes Laura now."

"No!" Yumi shook her head, clearing her mind. She _knows_ that Jeremie is crazy about Aelita, after all that she had seen happen between the two. "I wouldn't worry so much," Yumi brought up. "Anyone that has seen the two of you together can tell that Jeremie is head over heels for you..."

Aelita's face brightened up. Then, her cheeks flushed. "Oh, please..." she trailed off.

"Really, Aelita!" Yumi insisted, taking hold of her hands. "I'm serious. There is absolutely no possibility of him staying away from you. He _really_ likes you."

* * *

**Author's Note: I apologize for this, but I have to say that the next chapter will take a little longer than usual in getting written. It'll act of as a kind of long summary as to what would happen for the next few weeks. So yeah, lots of planning. This chapter also came a little slow, because I got back to drawing again (kind of thinking of getting a deviantART, but I'm kind of nervous, haha)! :) I was also taking time to relax, because I've been losing a lot of opportunities to write due to a lot of family things.. So yeah, sorry about that! D: I also need to work on 'Mission Interference' a bit.**

**Thanks for reading! Feel free to review! :) If you don't, that's totally cool. We're cool, haha.**


	14. Vulnerable

**Hey, guys! I'm so so sorry for the long wait! D: Fits of writer's block has really gotten me, and like I said, things have gotten... complicated. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter. (: Also, quick mention: this quote will be the same for the next chapter as well.**

**Hold on tight, because things are going to get interesting soon! ;) Go ahead!**

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_"What is worse: liking someone who doesn't like you or having someone that you don't like?"_

-Anonymous

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Chapter 13: Vulnerable

The next two weeks were uneventful, but that didn't mean that unusual endeavors were put to a stop. As time passed, Yumi couldn't help but feel a little unusual–the list of confusing boy behaviors got bigger by the day:

First on the list was the one and only smart-aleck, Jérémie Belpois. After the night he blew off his plans with Aelita, Yumi was left to sit there and watch as the pinkette stared desperately at her pink mobile phone, her lips drawn to a pout. She was readily prepared to answer it at a moment's ring for Jérémie, but it never did, causing her to fret over the littlest of things. It was heartbreaking and saddening for Yumi; she really didn't like seeing Aelita like this at all. She tried her best to comfort her, going to the largest extremes–even as far as shopping trips to stores like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Dior to get her mind off things. But to no avail. As long as Jérémie kept up his act of dropping off the face of the Earth, Aelita was a nervous wreck.

Second and not far behind was the tall, dark, and handsome teen–William Dunbar. As far as Yumi was concerned, he continued to constantly visit her during work. They would spend most of their time just talking, even going as far as flirting (it was either that, or William just acted like that with every girl he knew), but he never asked her out. Not even on another date. Yumi didn't bother worrying so much, though.

Last on the list was Hervé Pichon. Despite Yumi's threatening pester, he never admitted to buying the coat for her, thus raising a lot more questions–Is Hervé telling the truth? If so, then who was the real culprit? If not, then what are his reasons for not taking credit? As long as she didn't confirm who bought the coat, Yumi couldn't return it. She never even went through with wearing it even once because of the greed she felt. Also, after that interrogation, Hervé eventually stopped his visits to The Fresh Brew, shockingly resembling Jérémie's behavior.

The next obstacle was Valentines' day. It was painstaking for Yumi, to say the least. Not only did she have the role as the shield that blinded Aelita from all the love that was being showcased around campus (the red heart balloons and roses as the evidence), but she also had to deal with the annoyance that came with her classmates freaking out over prom. As far as Yumi knew, most Kadic guys asked their Lyoko girls to this 'momentous' occasion on this very day.

That very night, Aelita placed a hand on her stomach and sighed. Her eyes slightly narrowing in hunger, she asked Yumi in an expressionless tone, "You want to get some dinner?"

Yumi shook her head. She didn't want Aelita to face the possibility of Valentine-themed foods. "I'll go and get it, Aelita," she instantly offered.

As Yumi walked down the staircase, her fingers kept on running into the strings of the heart-shaped balloons tied onto the banisters. She sighed in annoyance and continued her way down. She pitied Aelita–Jérémie had been acting like such an idiot.

She bumped into Emily on her way to the dining hall. "Oh, hi, Yumi," she greeted. She seemed a little nervous to see her, as if she was hiding something. When Yumi tried to restrain herself from raising a suspicious eyebrow, the two continued their walk towards the 'cafeteria.' Surprisingly, Hervé was standing at the entrance by the time they got there, looking as if he was waiting for something. In Yumi's astonishment, Emily nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and blushed. Quickly, the black-clad teen was able to piece the things together.

Yumi rose an eyebrow as Emily gave out an anxious laugh. Walking over to Hervé, she looped her arm with his, and gestured to him with her other hand. "Um, Yumi," Emily began, "Hervé is taking me to prom."

"Oh?" Yumi uttered out, her face taking that of surprise. "Well-"

"I don't blame you for being surprised," Emily rapidly cut in. She was quickly becoming defensive. "But he asked me, Yumi."

"No no, I get it," Yumi replied. She wasn't angry at all–she was just surprised that Emily was chosen as Hervé's second–no, third–choice. "You guys go have fun."

Emily smiled warmly. "Thank you, Yumi."

The two walked off, and Yumi watched as Hervé awkwardly planted a kiss on her cheek. Shaking it off, she headed for the dining hall as well and quickly grabbed her meals. She wanted to leave the tricky air as soon as possible–as fast as possible.

* * *

Then that Friday afternoon, dancing class with Genevieve La Fontaine came with a surprise. "I've got a little something for you," she said mysteriously, her voice reaching a slight crescendo. She possessed a very prominent French accent, clearly showing her French origins.

The middle-aged woman dug into her purse and pulled out two closed fans. Yumi's eyes widened in utter surprise as she reached for them in slight curiosity. A small smile grew on her face. She couldn't keep back her excitement–she immediately opened them up. Her smile grew even wider. Instead of being paper, they were sewn from complete silk fabric–pinkish tan with red flowers.

"Oh, wow," Yumi breathed out, examining them with astonishment. "I-I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"This is a gift from me, to you," she replied, smiling as well. She gestured towards herself then towards Yumi to illustrate. Like a normal dancer, her movements were very fluid, automatic. "I thought that since you've got a lot coming up, you needed a small boost."

Yumi shifted her weight to her other foot. She half-bowed. "I've got most of the dance worked out," she said. "I'll surely be ready by the recital-"

Madame La Fontaine wagged her finger in Yumi's face. "Wait a minute," she began. "Those fans weigh a lot more than your paper ones. You'll need a little time to get used to them. But, I'm sure you'll be able to adapt to this new challenge."

Yumi bowed again. "Yes, of course," she answered.

The instructor smiled. "Let me see your dance," she said. "Then, you're dismissed for the weekend."

Yumi smiled and shut her eyes in concentration. She also took in a deep breath, clearing her mind. She was thankful for the distraction; it kept her mind away from Aelita's situation with Jérémie. Her mother insisted on still getting her prom dress fitted–even though Aelita wasn't even asked yet. Plus, the fitting would become a constant reminder of Jérémie's sudden weird behavior, and that was the last thing Aelita needed right now.

Yumi instantly dived into the performance. A few nights ago, she had a rather unusual dream that she was in this video game where her goal was to kill off all of these virtual monsters before her life points were drained. During a slow day at work, Yumi decided to tell Odd about it, and he even happily gave each of them names. They were the funniest, most creative names she had ever heard: Kankrelats, Krabbes, Tarantulas, Hornets, Bloks, and Megatanks. He even named the big boss of the game the Kolossus.

Yumi danced like she was using tessenjutsu to fight against the monsters. It proved to be a useful strategy in learning her dance.

When Yumi finished the performance, her face was flushed from the surge of pride she had coursing through her. Madame La Fontaine had on a large smile, but she could tell that they were edged with slight hesitation. "Is there something wrong, Madame La Fontaine?" she asked.

The instructor tapped her finger against her chin in thought. "The dance was fantastic.." she trailed off. "But there's something missing. Where is the music?"

Yumi's face fell. "What?"

"The music," La Fontaine repeated. "You need a musical piece to dance to."

"Right. About that..." Yumi scratched the back of her head. She forgot to mention that her inspiration for the dance came from a certain piano piece that she didn't know the name of. And that it was played by someone she wasn't exactly at good terms with. By now, she was lost as to how she was going to get hold of it, but she knew there was only one way, and she didn't like it. "I don't exactly know what the piece is," Yumi added.

Madame La Fontaine frowned. "Well, you can't dance without it," she said. "Either find another piece or get ahold of it."

Yumi nodded. "O-of course." She sighed in defeat. "I'll try my best to find it."

"Good." The instructor smiled in relief.

By the end of class, Yumi couldn't help but feel... disgusted. She needed Ulrich to play the piano piece for her to use during the recital, or else she would have to choose a whole other song, which, frankly, wouldn't do her any good. She would have to redesign the choreography which La Fontaine tried so hard to modify for her, and it's so close to the performance already!

She didn't like Ulrich, and she didn't think she deserved his help. But what else could she do?

* * *

Yumi worked Monday night. The café was near empty her whole shift, but, nevertheless, someone who Yumi always enjoyed being around came to see her. She couldn't keep back her constant smile as William walked up to the counter just when she was about to leave.

"What are you doing here?" Yumi asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

William shrugged and gave her a playful smirk. "The usual," he answered. Leaning in, he then mouthed, "Causing trouble."

Yumi laughed. Before she could stop herself, she then blurted out, "I haven't seen you in so long."

When William rose his eyebrow in question, Yumi shifted her gaze to the floor and blushed bashfully in embarrassment. A few days wasn't that long of a time, and Yumi wanted to smack herself for saying it. She didn't want William to know how she felt about him–what she just said was practically a dead giveaway. "Well, uh-" she uttered out, still not facing his gaze. "Will the usual be alright?"

William gave a smile and nodded. As Yumi began making his frappé, he leaned against the counter to wait. By now, Yumi actually wanted to run back to Lyoko and disappear. Not only was she embarrassed, but she also was mad at herself for forgiving William so quickly. He could've at least told her where he was instead of vanishing without trace during the past few days.

Milly ran up to the counter when Yumi handed William his drink. "YUMI!" she whined. "Aelita hasn't forgiven me, yet. This weekend was awful."

Yumi grimaced. She didn't want to comfort Milly because she deserved the cold shoulder Aelita had been giving her. Her role as the biggest internet sensation hasn't died out yet, so Aelita's embarrassment was still going on. Yumi made Milly's drink when she ordered it in silence, not caring to respond to what she said. As Yumi turned to face the clutter of machines, Milly turned her attention to William and began to..._flirt_.

"Hey," she greeted, eyeing him from head to toe. "Kadic boy, are you?"

William laughed, shaking his head. "No, actually," he answered as Milly's face fell considerably. He held out his hand. "The name's William Dunbar."

And instantly, Milly's face brightened up again. She took his hand, her eyes practically sparkling. "Oh, so you're the one who's Ulrich's sworn enemy! You got kicked out, right?"

Yumi turned on the blender to try and drown out Milly's useless babbling. Her left eye twitched as she saw Milly get more and more obnoxious towards William–she was surprised that he didn't get annoyed yet. She also frowned because she didn't want someone that she had to share William's attention with. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she wanted to keep William all to herself. She sighed when she realized that Milly was never going to leave.

Milly grabbed her drink before Yumi could even fill the whole cup. "So..." Milly trailed off. Looking up from her drink, she shot William a sultry look. "Do you by any chance have a girlfriend?"

Yumi choked on her bottle of water as William gave another laugh, not bothered the slightest bit. As Yumi coughed, he answered, "I do, in fact."

The answer shocked Yumi. Those two mere words stabbed at her chest, and it felt like her lungs were being squeezed tight. She never had the feeling before–it showed how she felt about the guy. Surprising her, William turned and sent her a wink.

Her body flushed with relief when she realized what William was implying. Before Yumi could send a smile back, Milly ruined it by prodding even more. "Really?" she asked, slightly disappointed. "With who?"

"Well... she has black hair," William hinted. Yumi looked down to the floor, not being able to hold back her smile. "Brown eyes," he continued. "Goes to Lyoko Academy."

Milly cocked her head to the side. "With who?"

William sighed and gave Milly a playful smirk. "Azra Ürgüp," he answered. "She's from Turkey. Ever heard of her?"

Yumi's smile dropped. Azra?! She knew who she was from school, but Yumi never would have guessed that she would go out with William. Yumi always thought that the mere mention of a Kadic scholarship student (even though he was former) was able to repulse _any_ Lyoko girl. She also thought that the mere thought of a Lyoko girl repulsed William. All-in-all, The whole thing ultimately confused her.

"Uh, Milly," William began. One look at Yumi, and he could tell something was wrong. "Would you give Yumi and me a few minutes alone?" He turned to look at the Japanese girl, her face still not relieved from the confusion. "Can you take a break?" he then asked.

Yumi shot William a piercing look and clenched her fists under the counter. "I think I can take a few minutes off," she spat coldly.

The two walked to a table as Milly skipped out the door. Yumi tried her best not to instantly lash out at him as they sat down.

William took in a deep breath and shifted his gaze to the side. "I know I sound like a hypocrite to you now, but Azra's father owns a highly succesful bank firm," he explained. "It's not as great as Mr. Stern's firm, but it can still get me a spot in one of the best Ivy League schools."

Yumi smiled almost sweetly–sarcastically, in fact. Before she knew it, she just lost it; all the composure she had evaporated in an instant.

Out of all things, that was his excuse.

It was just... so unreasonable.

Standing up, she once again clenched her fists. "You know, William," she began coldly, cocking her head to the side, "You're nothing but a freakin' gold digger." She leaned in to stare him hard in the eyes; that was the cold hard truth, and she wanted him to face it. William flinched a bit, but the majority of his face still tried to hold that of indifference.

"You don't understand, Yumi," he shot back. "You need to get used to things around here. There's a matter in getting connections." He sounded almost like he was pleading.

Yumi scoffed. "Yeah, right," she retorted sarcastically. "That's a great excuse for your dirty acts."

William got up to meet Yumi's eye level. "Look, I didn't think you'd get this mad."

Yumi almost laughed. "Well, you thought wrong," she said. "I thought that you despised Lyoko girls. I thought that all your trips to meet me at work meant something. I thought you were hinting at us being.." Yumi looked down at the floor, not wanting to continue. Shaking her head, she then walked up to the counter in anger and grabbed her coat. "You know what?" she asked. "I want go go home. Please. Just leave."

"You're making a big mistake."

Yumi put a hand on her hip. "Oh, really?" she asked. "Telling off a good for nothing gold digger is _not_ a mistake."

For the next several seconds, William just stared at Yumi, who was doing nothing but sending him glares now. Never did he expect for her to turn against him so quickly. He was at a complete loss for words.

Eventually, he got the message and angrily left the store, the door's bell ringing behind him.

Then, Yumi looked in the direction of where he left. Shaking her head, she locked up the café.

...Tonight, she experienced a crucial revelation: she made a big mistake in getting involved with William. She thought that he was just like her and knew what it felt to be a scholarship student, but she was wrong.

Too bad that it was too late for her to realize it. Aelita, Ulrich, Sissi–_everyone_ else was right about him.

Never did she feel so betrayed. Never did she feel so exposed.

...Never did she feel so vulnerable.

* * *

**Author's Note: Ohh, so William made a big mistake there. Yumi now knows how bad he is, and she doesn't even know about the situation with Ulrich yet! :O Hope you guys enjoyed this! Feel free to leave a review! :D**

**PS: I just learned how to do the little accents! They're fun! :D LOL.**


	15. Walks

Hey guys; updating from my phone! :)) Thank you all so much for reviewing–you guys contributed to my long-term goal of reaching 100 reviews! :'D I love you guys. You all are awesome. :D

Okay, I forgot to mention this LONG ago: Please, no matter how tempting it is, do not hate on William. LOL, I've been reading your guys' reviews, and it makes me feel bad that I'm making him the antagonist of the story. XD Get it? Got it? Good! :) Now, let's get to shout-outs, since I don't really want to flood your inboxes by putting these into PMs, haha.

UnknownStrngr: Hehe, thank you so much! I hope you keep your best too! Thanks for being patient! :)

Desert-chan: LOL, don't feel bad. It's a good thing for a person to find out that their 'friend' had only been deceiving them all along. Thank you for the review! (:

Random Person: I've been meaning to reply to you before! Sorry for the delay. Nothing much is happening as well, haha. And thank you so much for the compliments! To tell you the truth, I used to have a passion for fashion designing. (; I still have a lot of drawings, in fact. (:

bluedog197: I see a fellow "Teen Titans" fan! Awesome! (: And wow, I never thought of that episode reference! Anyway, thanks for the review! :D

Yuoaj009: It relieves me that I still have your attention. Lately, I've been feeling that this story has been dragging at a snail's pace. Thank you! (:

OjoOtaku: LOL, thank you for the review! You're awesome for always anticipating upcoming chapters! :)

Sharlena: Didn't really expect you here! I could tell you this through text/in person, but what the heck, right? Thanks for the review!

The Eccentric Gamer: Thanks for writing the 100th review! Dude, you made the 'celebration' awesome. :D

Mysterious Raven: Thank you so much! :)

camilleRomance: I missed you, girl! Thank you! :)

rosamea: Haha, and I missed you too! Thanks for coming back! :)

Just a Reviewer: Yes, haha, the outfit was partially based off of the first episode. Thank you for the review! :D ...I also really can't get over how simple, yet original your screen name is, LOL.

lovelyoko31001: Thank you for the review! I'll think about using your suggestions. :D Sounds good. (;

Katara0301: Thank you so much for anticipating the next chapter! :D

By the way, I didn't bold this like usual in hopes for saving some room. Didn't really make a difference, though. Oh, well. D: Anyway, thanks again to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed! Let's proceed on with the chapter! :D Again, exciting events soon to come! ;) Oh, and remember when I said that the quote was going to be the same as the last chapter? Well, there's going to be slight change in plan.

* * *

_"Truth is, I'll never know all there is to know about you just as you will never know all there is to know about me. Humans are by nature too complicated to be understood fully. So, we can choose either to approach our fellow human beings with suspicion or to approach them with an open mind, a dash of optimism and a great deal of candour."_

-Tom Hanks

* * *

Chapter 14: Walks

Thankfully, the pranks and criticism were held back as midterms approached. Along with this came prom, and the committee eventually started to call meetings every single night. Meanwhile, Aelita slowly grew more and more miserable as more Lyoko girls were asked out by their Kadic guys to the occassion–it was as if Jérémie had another girl to go with altogether.

Hurting her even more, Aelita's mother still insisted on getting her dress fitted. And man, was it expensive.

Yumi even began to look forward to work. It really was the only way for her to get some means of social interaction. Although, William began to visit the café less and less; their being around each other eventually grew awkward. Long silences and hesitant word exchange filled most of their conversations now–but Yumi didn't mind.

What's more, Ulrich began to make usual visits to The Fresh Brew. Yumi didn't favor this, and she tried her best not to make conversation besides the usual of asking for his choice of drink.

"I don't mean to start an _inquisition_," Odd began, smiling at his choice of words. He held his hand out, and, with a scoff, Yumi tossed him coin. It was this ultimatum they had–every vocabulary word Odd used, Yumi would give him a ten cent euro coin. "But I think Ulrich here has a tiny crush on you."

Odd wagged his eyebrows for a second before Yumi jabbed her fist into his shoulder. As he moaned in pain, she motioned to Ulrich and replied, "He _hates_ me. And I do too. He's probably doing this just to punish me."

And punishment it was. Ulrich continued his normal visits at the café for the next few weeks. Then, a month after Jérémie's party, Ulrich broke the custom and caught up with Yumi on her way home.

"Hey, Yumi," he greeted. "Mind if I join you? I'm heading your way."

Yumi rose an eyebrow but never said anything. Shrugging, she silently continued the walk.

For the next few minutes, nothing was said. The silence was comfortable, and there was no awkwardness between them. When they arrived at Lyoko Academy, Yumi turned back to look at Ulrich. She shot him a questioning look and nodded towards Kadic, which was just across the street.

Ulrich shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I thought that I'd walk you the rest of the way."

Yumi leaned against the door and crossed her arms. She creased her eyebrows. "Your concern for me is flattering," she retorted. "Just to let you know, I work on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights. Sunday afternoons as well."

Ulrich just stared blankly.

"So you can avoid them, of course," Yumi added.

"Right." Ulrich nodded and briskly walked away towards his respective school. Yumi entered Lyoko, expecting to never see him at the café again.

* * *

Ulrich met Yumi again after the next shift that came. And the shift after that. He was there every shift, and he would even walk her back sometimes. She found it easier not to fight it, though; with Ulrich around, no students tried to pull any pranks on her. The walks would usually consist of silence, and if they did talk, it was usually small.

Yumi was bewildered by his sudden unusual attitude. But eventually, she grew used to it. She found that with Ulrich, she didn't have to pretend to be like someone else.

Without word, the pair continued to walk down the sidewalk one night. Yumi _still _didn't know why he was following her, but she was too tired to even question him. Instead, she quickly decided to get into subject matters.

Look, Ulrich-" Yumi looked down at her feet, which were in step with his. "I don't know why you have been hanging around me for the past few weeks, but can I just ask you something?"

Ulrich's ongoing silence answered the question for her. Finding no objection, Yumi continued, "As you know, the dance recital is coming up, and.. I have to admit that the inspiration for the dance I'm doing came from the piano music you were playing that day at the cottage. I just wanted to ask for the name of it so-"

Ulrich shook his head and sighed, cutting her off. "You won't find it anywhere else," he said quietly. "Because I am the one who composed it."

Yumi turned to look at him, her mouth slightly agape. Truth to be told, she really wasn't expecting that answer. She always thought that it was just something she never heard of, and that Ulrich was simply playing from a music sheet. "Y-you..." she trailed off, at a loss for words. "Why?"

Ulrich didn't seem the slightest bit offended from her question, mostly because of the fact that he expected Yumi to react that way. "I always liked to play the piano," he answered simply. "But usually, no one cared because of my father's large bank firm. Everyone was only interested in _that_."

"Well, I'm not..." Yumi said. "You're very talented." She couldn't stop herself before it came out–she didn't know why she was even _complimenting_ him when all he had done to her before was criticize her being as a scholarship student.

But... that was before. Ulrich had been nothing but nice to her for the past month.

"Okay," he said. "I'll pre-record the piece."

"Thank you." Yumi sighed in relief.

Then, there was silence. Neither of them knew what else to say.

"How have you been, lately?" Ulrich then asked, apparently trying to strike up a conversation.

Yumi paused for a second. "Well, I just found out a good friend of mine was a gold digger after all," she answered sourly. Yumi didn't know why she was confiding him with her thoughts. It probably had to do with the fact that Aelita was lovesick and she couldn't really talk to her, Emily was going to prom with Hervé, and William... Well, she needn't think hard about _that._

It just seemed like.. Ulrich was the only person she could really talk to at the moment. With him, she could be herself. He wasn't like any other Kadic or Lyoko student she knew; he didn't pull _any_ pranks on her or ask about her money. At her answer, he surprisingly grimaced. "I don't suppose this _friend_ of yours is William, is it?" Ulrich questioned.

Yumi turned her head slightly to look at him. She seemed to have dug deeper into his answer, and, suddenly, it hit her. It was more than just a revelation–it was the answer to all of her questions.

Ulrich experienced the same thing as Azra–they both have been used to William's advantage. Yumi vaguely remembered him telling her about how Ulrich's father was able to offer him a spot at his bank firm!

But Yumi knew there was something else. Something deeper. Ulrich wouldn't be so stiff around William just because of that; she knew of many Lyoko and Kadic students who have also made friends with mercenary objectives. So, she just acted oblivious and prodded further. "How did you know that?" she then asked, trying to lace her words with as much senselessness as she could.

Meanwhile, Ulrich stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet. "He just seemed like the kind of person," he mumbled.

"Yeah, right," Yumi answered sarcastically. She gave him a look. "What about you, huh? William had told me lots about _you_."

Ulrich's eyes flashed with anger. "What kind of lies had he said about me now?" he snapped.

"Ahah!"

"What?"

Yumi knit her eyebrows. "How can I believe that he had been lying, huh?" She then immediately dove into laying out her facts. "Yes, he was a gold digger, but that hasn't exactly put you in the clear. How can I _know_ the truth, Ulrich, if I can't even hear your side of the story? William is the only one who even tried explaining things to me, and, hell, I'd take it if that's all I've got." She shot him a glare, trying her best to stare him down. She had had enough of this BS.

She desperately needed Ulrich's side of the story _now_.

The brunette sighed deeply and pinched the space between his eyes. "I can't believe I'm telling you this," he mumbled, grabbing her arm.

Yumi looked down at his hand, eyes slightly narrowing at the pain that came with his tight grasp. "Ow, -Ulrich!" she uttered out, trying to pull away. "Where are you taking me?!"

"Shhh," he simply replied. When Yumi's eyes finally adjusted to the sudden darkness, she found that the both of them were in a dark, private alleyway between two towering buildings. Yumi suddenly felt slight fear pinching the back of her mind. She began to question herself about finding out the truth.

Well, there was no turning back now.

Ulrich scoped his surroundings and watched as a few fellow Lyoko students walked by, their arms occupied with plump shopping bags. They were completely oblivious to the two hiding inside the confined area, their conversation about prom casually drifting through the cold air. When they finally passed, Ulrich turned back to look at Yumi, a face of sudden seriousness settling upon his features.

"Yumi," he spoke, his breathing slightly heavy. It suddenly felt like his lungs were being squeezed tight; there were no words to explain the thoughts and emotions currently going through his head. "This is what happened between me and William–the _true_ story."

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry about the 'cliffhanger.' I just thought that this would be a good place to stop. (: Hopefully, this had made you all anticipate the next chapter even more. :D**

**And sorry for taking a little longer than I needed to write this. XD I usually go on the computer to type stuff up and end up getting distracted by searching up music on YouTube, LOL.**

**And, like I mentioned in all the other chapters: Feel free to review! :)**


	16. Divulgence

**Hey guys! Fortunately, this chapter came out of me fairly quickly–you guys don't have to wait so long now, especially after that... unfortunate cliffhanger. Flashbacks are in italics–they are only for the purpose of giving you a better picture of what Yumi and Ulrich are talking about... I'm going to shut up now; so go ahead and read! XD**

* * *

_"When the walls come crashing down,_

_I hope you're standing right in front of me._

_When my past lies all around..._

_'Cause all you need to stay with me is to intervene. _

_And make the walls come crashing down._

_Got, got dynamite?"_

-Demi Lovato, 'Got Dynamite'

* * *

Chapter 15: Divulgence

"There are a few things you should know, before I go on with telling you the story," Ulrich began, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He looked to the side, away from Yumi's gaze. "At first, I had no idea why you've been acting so cold towards me. But after thinking it over, I now know why."

Yumi leaned against the brick wall and crossed her arms. "Yes," she answered, nodding her head. "It was because of the way you acted at the reception."

_"Aelita's friend is a scholarship student."_

_ "Yumi? So?"_

_"Did you really __think __that the first person I wanted to talk to was a- a__ scholarship __student__? __Really, Jérémie?__"_

Ulrich nodded in agreement. "I want to say that I'm sorry," he said. "It was really rude of me–and yes, it was because you're a scholarship student."

Yumi shrugged, an impassive look on her face. "Well, that's not surprising," she replied. "Everyone else at school-"

"No, it's not like that," he quickly cut in. Ulrich shook his head and sighed deeply. "You were right when you accused me of having a problem with people with no money. But that was only because of William."

Ulrich took a deep breath. He continued, his voice hinting with that of reluctance, "William and I were good friends, and we spent a lot of time together... My family took him on vacation, paid for his school supplies, and we even offered him an internship. He was a very close friend of mine, and an even closer _friend_ to my adopted fourteen-year-old little sister, Tamiya." Ulrich's face immediately scrunched together with that of emotional pain, his heart becoming heavy with what was coming next. Swallowing hard, he continued:

"William was like the brother I never had, but he crossed the line one night when he tried to mess with Tamiya. My parents were gone for the weekend, and I was out with Jérémie."

_Tamiya watched with eyes of envy as William downed the rest of the liquor straight from the bottle. He pursed his lips and shook his head as he waited for the slight burning sensation to ebb, then smiled at Tamiya in a daze._

_"Fantastic, William," she slurred, the same debauched grin choosing to settle on her face. She curled even deeper into his chest and gripped the blanket with her tiny fists. "Mind if **I** have another one?"_

_William's smile grew into a mischievous one as he placed the empty glass bottle atop the nearby nightstand. "Hm.." he trailed off. "I think there is something else I want to do tonight." His words mixed together in a jumbled mess, but neither of them seemed to notice or mind. Placing his hand under her chin, he connected his lips to hers, the kiss soft, yet passionate. Burning with a sudden desire, Tamiya felt trembles travel to the deepest corners of her body as she innocently giggled with joy. William was a really good kisser._

_She dug her fingers into his locks of navy hair as their previous short pecks quickly deepened into something more serious. Tamiya smiled against his lips as William's hand began to slowly travel up into her shirt, his fingers tracing along her spine. She sighed into his mouth with pleasure as he continued to graze her skin, each touch coming with its own set of tingles. Tamiya, not being fully alert, only giggled even more._

_Then, Wiliam's fingers closed around the clasp._

_Ulrich, meanwhile, entered the house with his usual impassive look. Dropping his keys on the table, his ears perked up to the sudden laughs of his little sister. Raising an eyebrow, he thought back to before he left Tamiya alone. That's when he realized that she didn't mention any friends coming over._

_What could she possibly be giggling about?_

_Walking towards the stairs, Ulrich nearly tripped over a solid object. It was an empty liquor bottle, uncapped and drained of the alcoholic liquid. It rolled a few inches away from where his foot hit it–and seeing it there, it immediately sent his heart racing._

_Ulrich ran up the steps. "Tamiya?" he frantically called._

"I walked into Tamiya's bedroom to find William forcing himself atop her, who was too drunk to even object," Ulrich continued. He turned to face the brick wall, his back to Yumi. "Luckily, I arrived before anything that could've eternally violated my sister happened."

"He took advantage of her feelings for him." Ulrich forcefully punched the brick wall until his knuckles were bruised. Tears welled in his eyes when he realized that he could never forgive himself for causing Tamiya all that trouble–for bringing William into the family. He then choked out, "I got rid of William and his internship at my dad's bank firm along with it. We even got rid of his spot in Kadic."

Yumi's eyes widened in shock. How could she _not_ believe what he was saying? "Ulrich..." Yumi slowly walked towards him. She tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder. "I understand; you don't have to continue-"

"He robbed our home soon after, you know!" he bursted, turning around to look at Yumi hard in the eye. "We _trusted_ him with our security codes, and he violated it!"

"Wh-why isn't he in juvenile detention, then?"

"We didn't want to have a trial and risk it becoming public." Ulrich dug his fingers into his hair and finally released a single tear. His whole body began to shake with despair. Yumi was petrified until she couldn't even say a word–after all this time, William really _was_ the wrongdoer.

"I'm sorry," Yumi finally apologized, close to tears as well, "for how I've been acting lately."

Ulrich shook his head and took in a deep breath to compose himself. "No, I'm sorry," he replied, shifting his gaze to look up at Yumi once again. "I went to London with Jérémie last semester to get away from everything. When I came back, I couldn't help but guard myself. In result of that, I lumped William into the same group as you."

Yumi was still speechless as Ulrich continued, "I eventually realized that it was wrong of me to think of you like that. Very wrong. Ever since then, I've been trying to make good with you. But nothing worked." He looked to the side again and shrugged. "Yumi, I really don't expect this to change anything. But I just can't go on without letting you know my side of the story."

Then, without a goodnight or even a mere goodbye, Ulrich turned and briskly made his way towards Kadic. Meanwhile, Yumi was left alone, her balled fists shaking and her eyes frozen in rude awakening. She had no idea what to think, how to react. How can she even face Ulrich after this?

Like her, Ulrich was only trying to protect himself with the walls he built from his past. But unlike her, he was willing to let it break once he got to know her better.

That's when Yumi realized:

Ulrich bought her the coat.

He was willing to walk her home.

He offered to pay for her purchases.

And he was even willing to tip her at work.

All this time, he was only trying to make friends her. But Yumi wouldn't let him because he was rich. It was completely different with William, though–she believed him and befriended him without even giving it much thought.

Only because he, like her, was a scholarship student.

Because of her adamance, Yumi was the only one who kept hold of her preconceptions. Ulrich didn't.

Ulrich wasn't the prejudiced one. Yumi was.

So is _she_ the wrongdoer here?

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, I hope all of you are satisfied with the story! :D Hopefully, I surprised you guys with the quick update! (; Feel free to review! :))**


	17. Avoidance

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter; I hope you like it! :D As always, thank you all for the sweet reviews–I enjoy reading them very much!**

* * *

_"Walk on through a red parade and refuse to make amends.  
It cuts deep through our ground and makes us forget all common sense.  
Don't speak as I try to leave 'cause we both know what we'll choose.  
If you pull then I'll push too deep and I'll fall right back to you._

_'Cause you are the piece of me... I wish I didn't need._  
_Chasing relentlessly... Still fight and I don't know why."_

-Zedd 'Clarity' (feat. Foxes) (**A/N: Haha, I looove this song! :D)**

* * *

Chapter 16: Avoidance

The following week was hard for Yumi. Confused, breathless, ashamed–she didn't know what to feel. Everything she did was spent in a dumbfounded daze. Even at the most random times, she swore she spotted Ulrich, but he would always disappear the second she decided to look up. Each and every occurrence brought along the threat of tears from being reminded of how much hurt she had caused him–how she believed a criminal. Each and every occurrence threatened to rip her heart apart despite her stoic demeanor.

Every night on the walk home, she found herself feeling lonely because of Ulrich's absence. He wasn't there to quietly listen to her whenever she decided to vent, he wasn't there to protect her from other Lyoko students–she felt even more vulnerable than ever before. Even more than when she found out that William had been playing her all along. She would also stop every time at Lyoko's gates to stare out across the street towards Kadic, hoping Ulrich would be there. It became a habit.

Yumi blamed it on her need to see him and talk to him. Whenever she had the time, she would think out all the things she would say that she didn't get the chance to before:

_"Ulrich, I've been acting unfair to you–I'm sorry."  
_

_"I couldn't fathom your story at first, but now I do believe you."_

_"A person like me doesn't deserve your kindness. I was ungrateful."_

One night, checking out Kadic's gates, he _was_ there, talking with Jérémie. The blonde's hair grew tousled in the slight breeze as his scarf trailed behind him. Yumi felt a slight pinch of anger rise inside of her when she remembered all the grief he had been causing Aelita. It didn't surface on her face, though, for the wretchedness she felt at the sight of Ulrich trumped out everything. She didn't know what to say–she was frozen and her mind grew blank.

"You're sure this will work?" Jérémie asked nervously, stuffing a note inside his pocket.

Ulrich quirked an eyebrow. "I'm positive," he answered. "She'll love it. Don't read it until you see her, though."

"What are they, anyway?"

A smirk grew on the brunette's face as he shrugged with ease. "Chemistry pick-up lines. A run-of-the-mill Einstein _always_ uses these-"

Looking up, Ulrich spotted Yumi watching the two of them, a look of apparent hurt etched in her face. Without letting Jérémie respond to his reply, an expression of the same hurt flitted across his face before he quickly opened the glass door leading to Kadic and disappeared inside.

Yumi pressed her lips to a thin line as her hair rippled with the wind–it was always the same thing, and every time she couldn't help but form tears that she would never let out. Gripping her arm, she openly let the breeze nip at her skin; it was all she could do as penance. Then opening the door to Lyoko, she gave Kadic one last glance. Her low spirits were pared even more when she found that Jérémie was gone as well.

* * *

Saturday evening was spent with a relaxing walk through campus. Yumi and Aelita both had things they wanted to clear out of their minds, the former still not telling the latter about her situation with Ulrich.

Surprisingly, Jérémie was under the arches on their way back to the dorms, a bouquet of roses stocked in one hand, the other holding a scrap of paper. The lights illuminated his golden hair, brightened the lenses of his glasses–he was even dressed better than usual: dark blue _Ralph Lauren_ polo, light jeans, and a dark brown belt.

"Yumi, would it be okay if I talked to Aelita alone?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

Nodding in reply, Yumi mustered a weak smile and began to head inside. Aelita wasn't going to let it happen, though, for she grabbed Yumi's arm before she could even make one step towards the waiting elevator. "No," the pinkette demanded. "There isn't anything you could say to me without letting Yumi hear too."

The blonde's smile fell as he looked at Aelita's smug look and crossed arms. Sighing, he shakily brought the note up to his eye level and began to read rather nervously, "A-re you made of F-fluorine, Iod-dine, and N-neon?" Clearing his throat, he rose an eyebrow at the unusual string of words. His lip quivering, he continued, "'c-cause you're so..." He pulled the note even closer to his face to make out the last word, still not believing what it said. "F-fine?" he uttered out.

As Jérémie tried to make sense of the 'pick-up line,' Aelita blushed and let out a nervous laugh, clearly getting it. Adjusting his glasses, Jérémie looked down at his feet as he attempted to fathom Ulrich's joke. _What could it possibly mean...?_

_Of course! The periodic table. Fluorine=F; Iodine=I; Neon=Ne._

_Together, they made 'F-I-Ne.'_

Jérémie felt two arms wrap around his neck as he was pulled close to Aelita. She was smiling with joy and pure amusement at the blonde's attempt to make things good again. Her head of bubblegum hair tickling his neck, he responded to the hug by wrapping his arms hesitantly around Aelita's waist. His eyes were widened in surprise, still shocked at how the joke worked.

_"That was a stupid plan and an awful joke, Ulrich_," he thought._ "But nevertheless, it worked."_

Jérémie crumpled the note and threw it to the ground. Pulling away from Aelita, he stared deep into her eyes. "Aelita," he began, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry for what I have done to you lately. I was a complete idiot–it was just that Sissi tried to manipulate me."

He continued, "It was stupid of me to let her... I know you have such a kind heart, Aelita, and that's why I hope that you will choose to forgive me."

Aelita's smile only grew. Pulling Jérémie in for another hug, she said one word: "Yes."

Jérémie's eyebrow began to twitch. "Wh-what?" he stuttered, clearly confused.

Aelita pulled away again and restated, "Yes, I will go to prom with you, Jérémie. This _is_ what this is about, right?"

As the blonde was rendered speechless, Yumi chose this time to walk towards the dorms. Once the door was locked behind her, she slid down the wall in exhaustion and looked out the window in despair.

Things were fixed between Jérémie and Aelita–and all because of Ulrich. But what about Ulrich and herself? He was finally trying to put things back together, but only one thing still stuck out like a sore thumb.

She needed to see Ulrich again and talk to him. But he always disappeared the second she spotted him–like he was avoiding her.

Closing her eyes, Yumi finally let it all out.

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Poor Yumi... Hopefully, the two make up, right? Anyway, I hope you found that bit with Jérémie funny–LOL, the idea just popped into my head one day. XD As always, feel free to review! I love you guys! :) Thanks for dealing with my overuse of exclamation marks, haha.

Okay, I'm just going to start replying to your reviews from the last chapter at the end of every chapter. Here it goes!:

Desert-chan: Aww, thank you so much! (: But I just gotta remind you–this isn't my own idea, LOL. It's a spin-off of another book. So don't give me that much credit. ;)

Just a Reviewer: I hope you're not mad at Jérémie anymore after this chapter, haha. It takes real guts to go through all that embarrassment. (: It's really cool how you've read "Pride and Prejudice!" I should maybe get to reading it sometime. (;

lyoko2lover: Thank you so much! It makes me feel awesome knowing that at least someone thinks that I'm a decent writer. :D

OjoOtaku: I hope you mean disappointed in William rather than the chapter itself... LOL, thanks for the review! :)

lovelyoko31001: Haha, thanks for the lovely compliment! :D You're pretty awesome yourself–thanks for constantly coming back and reviewing! :)

UnknownStrngr: I always try my best with my stories! ;) Thank you! (:

bluedog197: Haha, sick as a dog? Is that a pun? Anyway, I really hope you do get better–it feels great knowing that I helped with your sickness at least a little bit! :D Stay healthy because I love you! LOL... ahem, sorry. Thanks for the review! And Happy (belated) Fourth to you too!

Random Person: Thank you so much! (: It's cool that you design! Keep doing it! :D And LOL, my fashion sketches aren't that great either... O_O

camilleRomance: I'm already thinking of ideas for Jim. We'll see if I can add him! ;) Thanks for the review! :D

Yuaoj009: We've already PMed about this, but here it is again: Thank you so much! :)

obsessivefanno.4: Thanks for the really quick review! I appreciate it! :D I'm glad this changed your views on Yumi's behavior. (: She's awesome no matter what.


	18. Pencak Silat Lessons

**Hey guys! I'm sorry for the slight delay. But hey, there are two chapters I posted today! I hope that makes up for it! This chapter, sadly, is going to be slightly boring; it only serves the purpose of connecting the chapter before and the chapter after this chapter. XD So don't expect it to be interesting or anything, haha.**

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_"Revenge is sweet and not fattening."_

-Alfred Hitcock

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Chapter 17: Pencak Silat Lessons

The last shift at Brew's before spring break had a few strange occurrences. Yumi, not being able to stand the fact that Odd was still at good terms with William, told the eccentric teen all about the situation involving Ulrich... Well, most of it.

"So what you're saying is," Odd began, raising an eyebrow, "that William took advantage of Ulrich's bank firm? And he also went out with Azra after that didn't work out?"

Yumi nodded and swallowed hard. She chose to omit the parts with Tamiya's near rape and the robbery–those two events drilled holes into the back of her mind and threatened to form tears in her eyes. Plus, it was a personal tragedy for Ulrich. She crossed her fingers, hoping that it would be enough to taint Odd's thoughts of William; he was not a person to be friends with.

"Okay, man, I believe you," he answered with a laugh. "No need to explain."

Both their heads then snapped up at the sudden ring of a bell. It was William... with Milly. Odd faked a cough and disappeared in the back as Yumi withdrew all expression from her face and faced the cashier. Inside her, though, she could just feel a knife slowly sawing at the back of her mind.

Milly ran up to the cashier, her red pigtails bobbing with her steps. William followed close behind in a relaxed stroll, his hands in his pockets. "Hey, Yumi!" she greeted. "Get me a dirty chai and whatever William wants."

Yumi nodded and rung up the order. She tried her best to keep her eyes away from William, who was quiet ever since they entered the café. When Odd came out with their drinks, Yumi could barely make out a smirk he just couldn't keep back. She rose an eyebrow.

Milly began to eye the various pastries sitting in the confined display case. Sighing, she began to drawl. "I can't believe that we're going to have to stay in Paris all break!" she whined. "First exams, now this–I hate my life."

Yumi grimaced. Watching someone who owns a mansion and a private jet complain about her life couldn't help but make her ball her fists. Yumi herself has to stay in her dorm at Lyoko for the whole break because a costly flight from France to Japan wasn't worth a week back home. William rose an eyebrow at Yumi, but she made a big show of brushing him off–she was disgusted, in fact, by his attempts at trying to heal things up again. A frown grew on his face in response to her sudden hostility, but quickly dissipated for he didn't want to show that he was the least bit affected by it.

Thankfully, a good idea came from this, and Yumi decided to put it in play. "Hey Milly," she called. "You really shouldn't be complaining–did you hear that Ulrich's home was robbed last year? Right, William?"

She began to eye him with suspicion. His face still held that of impassiveness, but Yumi could tell that he was forcing the façade. Quirking an eyebrow, she began to wait for William's response–she knew this would take a while.

"So you two have been getting close, lately?" he finally asked, completely void of expression.

Yumi merely shrugged. "We've just been talking for a bit. It's been pretty... interesting."

"Ugh, can we talk about something else _besides_ Ulrich?" Milly interjected, acting exasperatedly bored. "That guy is always, like, so serious."

William nodded. "Let's just get out of here, Milly," he said.

"Wait!" Yumi grabbed Milly's arm and pulled her to a corner, leaving William to stand alone next to the cashier. He shot Yumi a glare, but she solely brushed it off. Milly seemed annoyed too, and she eyed Yumi with a bored look. So, she dug right in.

"Why are you hanging around William, Milly?" Yumi asked with haste.

"I called him," she answered simply. Smiling, she then leaned in and whispered, "He's single again!"

Yumi rose an eyebrow at the sudden surprise. So he broke up with Azra... Shaking her head, she continued, "He's two years older than you–I suggest you be careful."

Milly shook her fists in excitement. "I know–older guys are so cool!"

"Milly... I'm serious." Yumi placed a hand on her hip and looked down at the redhead with condescension. Even if she wasn't _her_ little sister, she still felt like Milly was her responsibility. Besides, Aelita can't possibly deal with the whole handful herself.

Milly sighed. "Okay, okay," she said in defeat. "Geez, Yumi, you're just as uptight as my sister... Can I go now?"

Yumi sighed, too. Waving her hand in assent, she finally answered, "Okay, fine, you can leave."

Once Milly and William frolicked out the door, Odd reappeared next to Yumi after his long period of absence.

She shot him a questioning look. "What was that all about?" she asked, referring to the suspicious smirk he had on his face as he handed William and Milly their drinks. Out of all the possibilities rising in her head, she could only think of one. Then, it hit her. Odd suddenly bursted into fits of laughter with Yumi.

"Laxatives?" she asked between gasps.

"Of course, Yumes," he answered once he finished _his_ share of laughing. Wiping away a tear, he continued, "William deserved it."

Yumi smiled in return. She needed a laugh, and she was glad that Odd was able to provide it.

* * *

Then came dancing practice. Everything was going just smoothly–her piece was coming together well. Of course, she still needed the music, but she chose to worry about that later. Hopefully, she and Ulrich will be able to fix things soon. She just needed to apologize, that's all.

"Yumi, dear," Madam La Fontaine called once she was finished with another practice performance. "You're interested in Pencak Silat, right? The Martial Arts of Indonesia?"

Yumi nodded to answer. She was clueless as to why her _dance_ instructor was suddenly so interested in what form of Martial Arts she studied. "Yes," she said. "Why?"

"Well, this is for you." The dance instructor handed Yumi an envelope, and a card which had an address and a few other details engraved into it was enclosed inside it.

"What's this?" she asked.

"A private invitation," La Fontaine answered. She gave Yumi a wink. "This is the address where your private lessons will take place at! They're the best they offer in Paris. Free of charge, too. You're a special guest."

Yumi was speechless. "I-I cannot take this.." she choked out. "Thank you so much."

"My pleasure. Connections are just great, no?"

Yumi couldn't stop smiling. Having something like this to look forward to motivated her even more to finish this dreadful week of midterms. She thanked La Fontaine countless of times, then left the studio with a large grin on her face.

In just a few days, she was going to deepen her study of Pencak Silat.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hm.. Pencak Silat? We all know who likes to take it as well too, huh? LOL, proceed on to the next chapter! It's up now! :DDD**


	19. Different From the Others

**Hey guys! Second update of the day! I'm excited for you all to read this–I worked so hard, haha. XD Anyway, enjoy! :)**

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"_Judging someone is easy. Getting to know someone for who they really are, however, takes effort–and that's why it means something_."

-Anonymous

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Chapter 18: Different From the Others

Ulrich was standing by the gate with a slight smirk gracing his lips. Watching Yumi stand wordlessly in front of his home, shooting her gaze between the card and the number carved into the stone with a slightly panic-stricken look, couldn't help but amuse him. Of course, he was just as surprised as her, but the feeling was drowned by the comfort that rose from knowing that no lies now lay between them–that no one, not even William, could make Ulrich seem like the person he isn't.

Taking that as solace, the tension that he created between the two by avoiding Yumi for the past few days didn't do anything but instantly dissipate within him. He realized that it was a stupid thing for him to do; they were supposed to be more open with each other now _especially_ since his recent confessions.

Sucking in a deep breath, Ulrich decided to approach first, for it was clear that Yumi was at a loss for words. Holding his arms out at his sides, he pressed his lips to a thin line and quirked both eyebrows, accompanying the gesture with, "Welcome to my home, Yumi." He said it with as much warmth as he could, anything to make Yumi feel more comfortable, but it was obvious that things will only get easier with time. They couldn't just instantly act like nothing happened–that everything was okay.

The usual straightforwardness Yumi possessed was long gone. She wanted to apologize, she wanted to make her surprise known–she wanted to say so many things to Ulrich, but all the thoughts jumbled together until she couldn't comprehend _anything_. She couldn't rid of all the thoughts fighting each other in the battlefield of her mind, and she tightly balled her fists to calm herself. Then gulping in a lungful of air that mimicked Ulrich, she blurted the first thing that came to her mind with genuine meaning: "Ulrich, I'm so sorry." She kept her distance as she continued, "I just- the coat..."

Ulrich only shook his head, withdrawing all expression from his eyes. "We can talk about that later," he said quietly, averting his gaze. Then looking at Yumi, he continued, "For now, let's just get inside, alright? You must be hungry."

* * *

The Stern's main foyer followed a simple monochromatic color scheme. To the right was a curved staircase with mahogany banisters and steps, carpeted with white and black fabric. To the left was a long arched corridor which Yumi guessed led to the sitting room. The walls were an off white along with the marble floor, both etched with faint gray designs. And in the center was a matching key table, decorated with a vase of white orchids. Overall, the room was roomy, yet cozy, the complete polar opposite of what Yumi expected.

A middle aged woman, who Yumi assumed was Ulrich's mother, rushed in to greet her the minute they entered. She was beautiful, really, with brunette hair like Ulrich tied back into a loose ponytail to show off her delicate oval face. Her lips were colored with plum lipstick that matched her simple velvet dress, and her black heels clacked against the flooring as she approached. A welcoming smile took form on her lips as she kissed both Yumi's cheeks.

The girl instantly came to admire her. "Hello, Yumi!" she greeted, taking both her hands. "It's great to finally meet you!"

Yumi shook off her slight surprise. "It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Stern," she said back, giving the woman a half bow.

"Please, call me Annette," she replied, placing a manicured hand on her chest. She smiled. "I'm sorry Mr. Stern couldn't be here today as well. He's working, like usual." She gave a light laugh. "Lunch is ready–Jim fetched us the best hors d'oeuvres in Paris. He will also be your instructor. Kind man, he is."

Then Ulrich's mother led them to the sitting room, where a tower of finger sandwiches, scones, and a wide variety of desserts stood waiting atop the black marble coffee table that stood in the center. It followed the same color scheme as the main foyer: In the front of the room stood a fireplace and a large mirror right above it. A beautiful crystal chandelier filled the room with white light. The flooring was the same, and the antique chaise lounge sofa was accompanied by a matching chair surrounding the coffee table. Meanwhile, the walls were decorated by intricate monochromatic paintings along with large windows, and there were ficus trees standing in every corner. And of course, there was a piano that stood in the back. The room was breathtaking, yet homey at the same time.

"Shall we?" The trio sat themselves down–Ulrich and Yumi next to each other on the chaise lounge, Annette on the chair. "Ulrich, will you please call Tamiya down?" his mother asked sincerely. "She must be hungry as well."

The brunette nodded wordlessly and walked back to the main foyer to take the stairs. Meanwhile, that left Yumi.. alone with Ulrich's mother. The woman silently poured the tea as Yumi couldn't help but fidget slightly in her seat. She couldn't help but feel like a little child in a large home–Ulrich's home. She felt so warmly welcomed, yet uncomfortable at the same time.

As the pair sipped on the warm herbal tea, Yumi couldn't help but feel slightly insecure as she felt Annette's eyes study her intently. "So you're the girl that Ulrich's been talking much about..." she trailed off.

"Uh.." Yumi didn't know what to say. Knowing that Ulrich had mentioned her before couldn't help but let a minor blush surface her cheeks. She lowered her head in slight embarrassment, letting her head of jet-black hair serve as a curtain. "I wasn't aware of that-"

"He admires you, really," the woman cut in. "Like usual, his thoughts are usually tucked inside his mind, but I, as his mother, could tell. His feelings for you have been made quite apparent to those around him for quite some time. It seems like fate has brought you two together with the Pencak Silat lessons, no?" She gave Yumi a knowing smile, then a wink.

"I-.."

That was when Ulrich came back into the room with Tamiya. Yumi was thrown off to see how fragile of a girl she was, and she couldn't help but feel sick to the stomach thinking about William. Tamiya had chocolate colored skin with dark brown hair pulled back into a ballerina's bun, and was in a sleeveless yellow dress with a flared skirt. Around her neck was a wire necklace with chunky beads in different shades of brown, along with a matching bracelet.

"Tamiya, there you are!" Ulrich's mother embraced her with open arms. "Yumi, this is Tamiya."

Tamiya gave Yumi a shy wave before sitting herself down next to Ulrich. Almost immediately, he grabbed a plate and started to fill it up for her–his care for his little sister was apparent, and he wasn't embarrassed to show it. Before he was finished, Tamiya swatted him lightly and snatched the plate from him, clearly wanting to do this herself. Yumi marveled at their admiration for each other; it was a whole different side of Ulrich in contrary to his usual rigid attitude.

"I'm not four years old anymore," Tamiya remarked, eyeing him with slight irritation.

"I don't see any herbal tea for you," Ulrich then said, trying to give Tamiya a little tease. He smirked. "What a pity."

Tamiya stuck her tongue out. "That's gross, Ulrich." She then motioned to a glass of lemonade sitting on the far right of the table. "That will be fine, thank you."

She grabbed the glass and sat herself back down. Her legs dangled–didn't even touch the floor. Yumi noticed that even though she was the same age as Milly, she didn't try to act like she was more mature than she really was. She guessed that it was previous events involving William that made her like that; Tamiya couldn't help but give off a slightly vulnerable demeanor.

Yumi also noticed that throughout the night, Tamiya continued to study her with a look of curiosity. Yumi felt guilty from how she had been treating Ulrich; his family went through such a tough time, though they continued to welcome her with open arms. She barely spoke all afternoon; Yumi was too busy trying to let things sink in.

"I'm still wondering..." Ulrich trailed off, turning to look at Yumi. "Are you surprised..?" He seemed a little sheepish, and Yumi couldn't help but return a smile to comfort him a bit.

"Of course I am," Yumi answered. And it was true–she really didn't expect Ulrich to study Pencak Silat as well. Being intensely talented with the piano was enough to throw her off. But that also got her thinking. She didn't know whether she was driven by his mother's recent tellings about Ulrich's 'feelings' for her or something else, but she truly didn't care. So, she just let it out. "You know.. you really don't have to hide behind this mask of yours," she then said. "Make your talent known, regardless of what everyone will think. Someone _will_ care."

Ulrich gazed back at Yumi with his usual impassive look. He found her expression to hold that of sincerity.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

Ulrich's mother turned her attention to the black-haired teen. "So, Yumi," she began, causing her to focus all her attention on the woman now. "I heard that you are quite a fantastic dancer. I would love to see you dance sometime. You're the main act of the year-end recital, am I right?"

Yumi put down her cup of tea. She only nodded as she took a blueberry scone.

Then came a tour led by Ulrich's mother. Their house was extensive, and Yumi was amazed. The whole mansion was four stories tall, consisting of a beautiful wine cellar, game room, rooftop pool, screening room, and even a library. What _really_ caught Yumi's eye, though, were all these embarrassing photos of Ulrich while his family was back in Germany.

One of them showcased a young version of Ulrich dressed in a khaki shirt, green vest, and light jeans. In his hand was a much too large fishing pole, and he was smiling largely at the camera, revealing his teeth with braces lining them. He wasn't standing straight–his stride was quite wobbly, in fact, and it couldn't help but make him look a bit ridiculous.

Yumi smirked. Ulrich turned to look at her and shot the girl a condescending glare. "I expected you to get the clear braces, you know," she teased, motioning at the photo.

Ulrich stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away, clearly trying to play off his slight embarrassment. "Yes, well, I was told that they show good character and also build strong, moral fibers for future life." He said it with a slight Chinese accent, and he couldn't help but release a slight scoff.

"What?" Yumi was almost on the verge of laughing at this point. "Where did you hear that?"

"Julien Xao," Ulrich answered aggravatingly. "It's probably another one of his Confucius sayings. Clearly, he was only trying to mess with me."

The two couldn't help but laugh a bit, then lock eyes. It frightened her how comfortable they were getting with one another, as if nothing had happened. But, as much as she refused to admit it, she also liked the slight churns her stomach made when she realized that she was coming to like Ulrich, much more than she wanted to.

None of this felt forced, much like their walks. Both of their walls were finally crashing down. Of course, Yumi was thankful for that, for she had so much to say, so much to apologize for. It horrified her, in fact–the way she had acted, all the awful assumptions she made of him, and yet Ulrich continued on being nice to her unconditionally.

The two ripped away their gazes after several seconds and started to shake off the previous exchange of looks. Wanting to do anything that will dissipate their slight awkwardness, Ulrich looked up at the ceiling and said, "There's one place we haven't shown you yet."

Yumi's head snapped up at the sudden remark, intensely thankful for the distraction. "Oh yeah?" she asked. "Where?"

Ulrich shrugged. "The roof," he answered simply. "Would you like to see? We still have a few minutes before the lesson."

Yumi turned to look at Tamiya and Ulrich's mother, who were both talking to one another about prom. "Sure," Yumi replied, simulating Ulrich's previous shrug. She swallowed hard. "Let's go."

* * *

The view Ulrich's mansion had of Paris was amazing. The Eiffel Tower seemed so small and out in the distance–Yumi could almost feel like she could cup it within her hands. For the second time today, she felt her breath be taken away. Not only did Paris's grandeur of its beautifully built buildings made the view gorgeous, but the hues coming from the approaching sunset intensified everything.

Yumi gripped the cold edge of the rooftop, taking in the panoramic view. She slowly closed her eyes and let the slight breeze relax her–for the first time ever, she could feel the weight she had been dragging around for the last half semester lift off her shoulders. She felt more free than ever.

"Wow," she breathed out. That was all she could think of to say.

"Nice, huh?" Ulrich said back. A tentative smile took form on his lips, and his eyes continued to study her face–he just couldn't help it. Yumi felt like someone he could trust and be the most open to, and it was comforting to him as well.

"Yeah," she answered with a slight grin. "It's beautiful."

"Oh, look!" Ulrich pointed out to the Eiffel Tower as it lit up, the sun just beginning to set. All of Paris lit up, actually, and Yumi looked out with him. Once again, her breath was taken away, and the beauty only glowed and multiplied like she never thought possible. She never saw anything like this happen, for she was always so busy with school. In fact, she was _so_ thankful for Ulrich being here to show it to her.

Yumi smiled back, but it quickly dropped. Something was still bugging her; she needed to apologize now, or the guilt that came with his constant kindness would crush her. "..Ulrich, I'm so sorry," she finally sighed out, turning her head to look at him. "About everything. The coat, William, my attitude.. I- Why didn't you..." She took in a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. "Thank you for fixing things between Jérémie and Aelita," she said.

Ulrich nodded. "I should've done it sooner, though," he replied. "I could tell that Aelita had been suffering for too long."

"And the coat..." Yumi lifted her gaze. She narrowed her eyes as her hair rippled slightly with the breeze. "Why didn't you choose to tell me that it was you who sent it?"

"You despised me," he simply replied. His eye twitched slightly as the pain from the memories came rushing back. "You wouldn't have kept the coat if you knew it was me."

Yumi pressed her lips to a thin line and looked away. She felt like the worst person who ever walked on this earth, and that she deserved to be treated like dirt. She kept silent and chose to not say anything, for she was completely lost in her thoughts of guilt. She was right–she couldn't even face Ulrich.

"I never wanted to believe what you said about how you were being treated at Lyoko," Ulrich continued. "But after our argument at the store, I really began to pay attention. I really thought that Laura poured that cup of coffee on you by accident. It's dumb, really, how I never noticed before. And, well, after your coat was stolen, I just felt like I should do something to help, so..."

"Why are you being so thoughtful towards me?" Yumi asked with genuine confusion. "I've only been so horrible towards you, Ulrich."

Ulrich met Yumi's eyes again. "Well.." He opened his mouth to continue, but closed it when he thought better of it. Thinking it out for a bit, he quickly gathered his pride and let it out. There was no other way to say it. "-Yumi, I... really find you to be an incredibly brave person... You are the first person I've ever met that wasn't impressed by my family's money, and you're the first person that has alternately paid attention to my playing of the piano. It's just that I-"

"Ulrich..." Yumi placed a hand on his cheek tenderly, and he lowered his gaze. "Could you possibly-..."

When she realized what she was about to say, she thought better of it and closed her mouth. Instead, she looked away and felt a slight blush creep to her face. The mere thought made her feel a little uneasy, worried. Ulrich then grazed her cheek with the back of his hand, urging her to look back at him. When she did, her expression was bashful, reserved, causing Ulrich to suck in a deep breath of anticipation. His look said it all–she was right.

"Ulrich, why did you invite me to your house for lunch and a tour?" Yumi asked. "I thought we were just going to do the lessons."

"I knew you liked Pencak Silat; I sometimes see you hanging around where I practice outside of my home. The invite was my idea." Ulrich sighed. "If you knew that they were here, you wouldn't've accepted it. The tour and lunch was my mom's idea. I guess she wanted to get to know the girl that I-"

Ulrich dropped his arms and balled his fists. Yumi looked at him with cluelessness, not knowing at all what to think. "..I really _can't_ keep this back any longer," Ulrich muttered, turning back to look at Paris. He walked away from Yumi and wrapped his hands around the railing. Meanwhile, she watched his back intently. "Yumi, I-" he exhaled deeply to collect himself. "I like you, okay? I like you a lot."

Then from there, he quickly let it all out. "I find myself thinking about you everyday–you never leave my mind. You're like no one else I've ever met. No matter how long I think, I can't figure out why I'm so _drawn_ to you. Yumi, I-"

Cutting him off, she grabbed the shoulders of his shirt and turned him around to face her. She had clearly heard enough. "Ulrich, I never expected you to feel this way," she said sternly. "I always thought you despised _me_." Yumi was surprised to find that his eyes were shut tight, and his jaw was clenched like usual. "...I just wanted to say that-" She stopped and sighed deeply, still thinking about how she should put this. Yumi looked at him with a piercing, yet determined look, and opted to draw him close.. _slowly_.

"Yumi.." Ulrich trailed off, tucking a strand of raven hair behind her ear. "You don't hate me anymore, do you?"

She softened her gaze as she lightly brushed her thumb across his left cheek. She shook her head, then livened her stare once again. "No, not at all..." she replied. "I think I..."

She truly cared for Ulrich. After all he had done for her, it was hard not to. Ulrich had been nothing but nice to her, and all this time, he was protecting her–_looking out_ for her. He was so sweet and caring, doing all he could to make her feel happy. All those walks and talks, and never before did she notice her attraction towards him. She closed her eyes as they continued to move closer. Yumi found herself craving his lips to be on hers, and she quickly got annoyed by how long they were taking. It was almost like they were nervous, hesitant. She knew _she_ was.

Ruining the moment, Yumi's phone started ringing. She quickly let go of Ulrich's collar, then opened her eyes in annoyance. Meanwhile, the brunette looked away in embarrassment and began to rub the back of his head. Yumi let out a long sigh, her heart dropping, then answered. "Aelita?" she asked.

"Yumi.." The pinkette's voice sounded worried and choked up. "I can't find Milly anywhere. She left a few hours ago to go 'have some fun,' and I'm getting very worried." She bit her lip. "Yumi, I-I think she's with William."

* * *

**Author's Note: That. Was. So. Difficult. I don't usually write stuff like this, so... yeah. I really hoped you enjoyed this–I tried my best, really. (: I would be really thankful if you left a review-I really want to know how I did! :DD As always, thank you for all the lovely words you guys put out. ((: You all are awesome! :)**

**Phew, Ulrich finally confessed! ****Now that I'm finished with this update, I shall continue with my dreaded reading assignment! LOL. See you guys in a week or so! (; I'll reply to your reviews then! It's late over here in Hawaii, so good night! :)**


	20. The Second Occurrence

**Okay, before I start, I totally forgot to put a disclaimer for the last chapter. XD The whole 'Confucius Reference' came from the pretty popular YouTube comedian, Kevjumba ('Put it in Purse' video). ((: Basically, his videos usually center around Asian (or more specifically-Chinese) humor, and, well.. I love them, LOL. I can always relate to them, you know (for those of you that don't already know; I'm Chinese)? XD**

**Oh, and the chemistry joke.. Not mine. The idea was mine, but the joke wasn't. XD You can find it on many Facebook memes and other various websites, so I can't really give out specific credit, sadly. D:**

**Anyway, onto more serious subjects.. let's continue on with the chapter! Like always, I hope you enjoy this! :DD**

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_"I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you." _

-Friedrich Nietzsche

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Chapter 19: The Second Occurrence

Yumi sucked in a deep breath. "Aelita, I want you to keep calling Milly," she ordered darkly, clenching her free fist. "When you get a hold of her, I want you to tell her countless of times, _profusely,_ that William _cannot_ be trusted. I'm heading to your apartment now."

A w himper escaped from Aelita's mouth. She pressed her lips together and nodded. "I'm scared, Yumi," she said back quietly, her voice now laced with fear.

"Don't be," Yumi reassured back, her voice now a bit softer. She wanted to be brave herself, but after hearing what William did to Tamiya couldn't help but make her feel a little sick. Yumi tried her best to hide it behind her voice. "We'll fix this, you'll see."

When Yumi left the line, she began to curse herself for not being more firm with Milly while she was at the café with William. She never even told Aelita about how far that boy can go, and what he was painfully capable of. Shaking her head, Yumi turned to face the door that led her back into the house, but was alarmed to find Ulrich there standing right in front of her.

Yumi jumped slightly from the sudden surprise. Ulrich quickly noticed and creased his eyebrows into a frown. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

Yumi's eyes glanced at the sky for a second before she let out an exasperated sigh. She bit her lip, then looked back at Ulrich with a hurtful gaze. "It's just that Milly's gone missing... And Aelita lastly recalled her with.. _William."  
_

Ulrich evidently tensed up at his name, and Yumi couldn't help but feel awful for bringing the boy into his life again. "Ulrich, thank you for this afternoon," she said, desperate to ease the traction. "I had a great time. We can do the lessons another day, okay?"

At her words, Ulrich seemed to have shook out of his previous rigidity. Taking Yumi's hand, he began to stroke it with his thumb. "Let me help you, okay?" he offered. It wasn't Yumi's choice–it was a command. Of course, being herself, Yumi was adamant in refusing his help.

"I don't want to cause you more trouble, Ulrich," she muttered, pulling her hand away. Narrowing her eyes, Yumi then lowered her gaze and reluctantly pushed him aside so that she could leave.

Taking a few steps, she instantly felt Ulrich's grip around her right arm. Yumi abrasively shook it off, then turned around in apparent anger. "God, Ulrich, when will you ever understand that I don't want you to stress over me any more than you already have?!" she lashed out, fire now present in her gaze. "I. Don't. Need. Your. Help."

"You don't have to make this any harder than it already is," Ulrich fired back, not deterred the least bit by her previous flare-up. "As much as I don't want to admit it, I know William enough to tell what he's going to do next. I'm helping you whether or not you like it. Aelita is my friend too, you know."

Yumi extended her lower jaw and sighed through her teeth. She then ran her fingers though her hair and relaxed her gaze. "Fine," she answered dryly, throwing her arms up in exasperation, then crossing them. "Be my guest."

When Ulrich nodded with new found determination, the two proceeded with running down the steps to the main foyer. Tamiya and Mrs. Stern instantly spotted them, and both quirked their eyebrows in confusion at Ulrich grabbing his jacket from the coat rack. Him and Yumi then ran towards the door, Ulrich taking his keys.

"Um, excuse me," Mrs. Stern asked them with sudden authority, "but where are you two going?"

"On a date," Ulrich said quickly, the first thing popping into his mind. Yumi blushed at the rash statement, but quickly regained her composure. Ulrich didn't seem the least bit thrown off, so she chose to act like that too. "Tell Jim that we'll hold back the lessons."

Mrs. Stern rose an eyebrow and chuckled lightly along with Tamiya. "Alright," she called back, giving them a light wave. "Have fun!"

The two didn't look back as they opened the door into the warm Parisian night. Yumi chose this the time to apologize. "Ulrich, I'm so sorry," she said with pure truthfulness. "I brought William back into your life again–this is all my fault.."

She clenched her fists and looked out across the street. Her anger at herself was almost as strong as her anger towards William, and she didn't even see what he did to Tamiya, or even possibly–Milly.. Her eyes widened in surprise when she felt Ulrich's arms wrap around her, largely pulling in for an embrace–and she quickly relaxed in his grasp, like it was on impulse. She then sighed for what felt like the millionth time today–it was currently the only way, in fact, to let out every bad thought building up inside her.

He pulled away and stared deep into her eyes. "It's not your fault," he replied, his voice void of expression.

"Yes it is, and don't try to get me to think otherwise," she mumbled back into his chest. "I blindly trusted him, and that's why he's here, now, with Milly doing who knows what."

Ulrich let go of Yumi and they jogged to the closest taxi stand. When a cab arrived at the curb, he turned to look back at his Japanese beauty. "No one, not even me, could've known," he said sternly (no pun intended). His expression quickly darkened. "Let's just focus on dealing with him, okay?"

* * *

"U-Ulrich?" Aelita was in tears by the time she opened the door to let him and Yumi in. She was confused as to why he was here with Yumi, and she showed it, glancing between the pair.

"Don't worry so much, Princess," Ulrich said to Aelita in a comforting tone. Yumi was surprised; she really wasn't familiar with the idea that Aelita and Ulrich were _that_ close–she immediately noticed how they treated one another like siblings. Once again, Yumi's head took a stab from reminding herself how narrow-minded she was for the past semester. "We'll find Milly soon," Ulrich then said.

Aelita nodded, then tried her best to dry her face. Ulrich took it from there–he began to ask her all the conventional questions: Where she last saw Milly, what she said on the phone, where she liked to hang, and what she liked to do. Then, surprising himself and Yumi, he told Aelita the whole thing dealing with William: his now broken relationship with Tamiya, the robbery, and the withdrawn internship–everything.

Yumi could tell that he had the hardest time retelling the story to Aelita. As the pinkette listened to the cold, hard facts pour out of Ulrich's mouth, she kept her gaze lowered in both worry for Milly and sadness for Ulrich. Meanwhile, Yumi looked in the opposite direction, biting her lower lip. She knew that the facial expressions Ulrich had on were near unbearable, even for her.

Ulrich barely kept his voice in control, and his fists were clenched. He was highly reluctant, though everyone knew that it was needed he do that. "Now that I've told you," he began, "you now know what we have to do next, right?"

Aelita had her fists pressed against her lips, deep in thought. Lifting her gaze, her expression was disputed. "We have to call hotels now to see if they've got a room," she answered, her face now deadpanned. She didn't know what to think anymore.

Ulrich nodded, his expression serious. "Exactly."

Aelita seemed taken aback by that mere word. She feared that Ulrich would say that. "But... she's only fifteen!" she exclaimed, contradicting her very own theory. "She can't possibly..."

"Aelita," Yumi said to her, her tone of voice now grim and authoritative. "You have to understand that nothing will stop William from taking advantage of Milly unless someone intervenes."

The pinkette thought for a bit, then finally nodded unwillingly in agreement, her lips now drawn to a pout. "Wh-where do we even start...?" she asked. "There are thousands of hotels in Paris.."

"William would only want the best."

"I might know a few," Aelita declared, opening up her purse to pull out a notepad and pen. Scribbling at least a dozen names, she handed the paper to Yumi. "Here. Meanwhile, I'll try and call Milly."

She took in a deep breath and pulled out her cellphone, walking to the far right side of the room. Meanwhile, Ulrich walked into the kitchen after excusing himself to make a phone call. Then Yumi, now alone, sat herself down on Aelita's bed and began to dial the hotels, one by one. With every hotel operator, she asked for William, then Milly.

The first six didn't come up with anything. When the seventh operator came up, however, it was different. "Hold on a moment, please," it said.

Then the line started ringing.

"Ulrich!" Yumi called. As she waited for him to arrive, she thanked the Gods and prayed for Milly's safety. William picked up right when Ulrich grabbed the phone from Yumi's hand.

"Hello?" William's voice was lost in a slur, causing Ulrich to largely grimace in disgust. "Is this the room service?"

The brunette looked up towards the ceiling, then clenched his jaw. Clearing his throat, he answered tentatively, "Um, yes, I just came to confirm the room number, sir."

William was too drunk to even notice that the voice belonged to Ulrich. Impetuously, he fired back, "How can you call the room, yet not know the room number? Didn't you have to dial room six zero eight?" He sounded angry, though it was hard to take him seriously, considering his current drunken state. Ulrich quickly hung up, then turned to look at both Aelita and Yumi.

"I think you guys should stay here," Ulrich ordered assertively through clenched teeth, grabbing his coat from the coatrack. "I can handle this myself."

And of course, Yumi and Aelita didn't listen. Despite his previous statement, the two continued to follow him out the door, then down the elevator. Ulrich didn't even bother to waste the time and object. When they got hold of another cab and got inside, Aelita chose this the time to vent. She was clearly angered at Milly, _and_ herself. "How can Milly be so reckless?" she squeaked out. Lifting her gaze to the ceiling, she clenched her fists and groaned, slamming them against the leather seat. "I can't _believe_ she actually had the nerve to use her credit card on such an expensive hotel!"

"..The two are obviously drunk, and who knows what they'll do next?!" Sickened at the multiple possibilities, Aelita ran her hands down her tired face. Ulrich didn't say anything to reply, for he was too angered, and Yumi didn't say anything either, for she was too busy fuming over William. Nevertheless, the pinkette continued. "How am I supposed to explain this to mom and dad? I thought things are all better now because I have Jérémie, but I knew it was all too good to be true." She whined, then dug her fingers into her short, ruffled hair. Yumi shook her head–it probably didn't help that Jérémie was off to Greece for the break.

"I am the worst big sister anyone could possibly have..." she lastly sighed out, finally boiling down.

Yumi exhaled deeply. "Aelita, chill, okay?" she said back rather aggravatingly, making her sound much like a hypocrite. "Ulrich and I are pretty much angered too, you know.."

When the taxi arrived at the hotel, Ulrich dug into his pocket and threw a whole bundle of hundred euro bills held together by an elastic at the driver. He tipped his cap in thanks, a large grin on his face, and the trio left the car. As it drove away, they hurriedly rushed into the hotel, not even bothering to wait for bellman to open the door for them.

A rather chubby, yet muscular man dressed in a red tracksuit shuffled up to Ulrich once they were inside and stood to attention. "Jim Morales, reporting for duty, sir!" he exclaimed, saluting the shorter boy.

Ulrich patted Jim's arm and let a small smile form on his lips. "Girls, this is Jim," he introduced.

Aelita and Yumi just stared.

"Ulrich, we can't enter the guest floors unless we have access to a keycard," Jim said quietly, lowering his gaze. "I'm sorry to disappoint."

Looking towards the front desk, Ulrich sighed inwardly. "I'll handle this," he muttered darkly, slowly pulling out his wallet. "You guys stay here."

"Yes, sir!" Jim exclaimed once again, straightening his posture. Ulrich wordlessly nodded, then walked towards the front desk. That left Yumi and Aelita with Jim, and none of them spoke a word.

A few minutes later, and Ulrich was back with a keycard between his fingers. "Let's go," he said, beginning his walk towards the elevator. Highly confused, Aelita, Yumi, and Jim followed without word. Once they were all in, Ulrich slid the card into the slot and slammed his fist into the button for the sixth floor.

The ride up felt like an eternity. Ulrich continued clenching and unclenching his fists, Yumi glared at the elevator meter, Aelita bit her nails, and Jim stood with his chin tipped up and his hands behind his back. The atmosphere was obviously tense–everyone was too busy conjuring up their own theories of how bad it would be, and what William could do.

When the door finally opened, Yumi decided to take the lead. However, as she advanced one step, Ulrich blocked the exit with his arm, causing her to slightly flinch back. The sound of vibrating metal resounded through the small cabin on impact, and Yumi shot him a questioning look in response.

Ulrich gazed back at her with more severity. "We're doing this _my_ way, okay?" he ordered, staring each and every one of them down. "You guys stay outside–I'll deal with William."

"No," Yumi said back, a stern expression on her face. Aelita and Jim knit their eyebrows in concern. "Look, Ulrich–I understand there are personal matters you need to settle, but..." she took in a deep breath. "We want to help."

Ulrich sighed. "Yumi–"

"That's my final decision, okay?"

Ulrich shook his head at Yumi's unyielding stubbornness, then sighed once again. Without even another word, he left the elevator in a brisk stride, his fists clenched, and Yumi followed with stoics glazed over her face. She showed pure determination, refused to show fear. Aelita and Jim followed as well, though not as quickly.

The four instantly picked up blaring music coming from inside as they turned a corner and walked down the corridor to approach room 608. Aelita could feel her stomach swiftly tie itself into knots as they got closer and closer–Yumi wrapped her hands around the pinkette's shoulders to try and reassure her.

"Everything's going to be okay."

Aelita shook her head, then wrapped her arms around herself as if the temperature dropped a few degrees. "Oh, I hope so..." she replied tiredly.

The door wasn't hard to miss. On the plaque was engraved the numbers: six, zero, eight. Jim leaned against the wall on the left side of the door and crossed his arms. Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita lined up on the other side.

Ulrich knocked twice. "Room service," he called out.

There was a giggle. Yumi listened intently as she heard footsteps approach soon after, getting louder as they came closer. She could feel her heart beating faster as they drew nearer towards _the_ moment. "You guys were just here," she heard William's disgruntled voice come through the door as it swung open. "Did you forget something..?"

William's voice dropped when he lifted his gaze and found himself face-to-face with Ulrich, his worst enemy. The brunette grimaced at his current state: unshaven face, hair clinging to his forehead, top buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, eyes bloodshot. Letting out an irritated sigh and then a glare, Ulrich shoved William aside and entered the room with his fists threateningly clenched–Yumi gazed in concern as she could tell that he was having the hardest time keeping himself in control.

Despite his previous orders, Yumi impetuously followed Ulrich inside, like her body had a mind of its own. Instantly, the sight of the room hit her like a shockwave, threatening to make her legs falter beneath her. Yumi was speechless; the place was a disaster. The whole room reeked of alcohol and vomit, and beer bottles littered the floor. On the nightstand stood a nearly empty champagne bottle with two empty glasses next to it, and the carpet was stained with puke.

Yumi chose to stand next to the door and just stare, feeling appalled at the sight.

William stumbled backwards and fell into the couch from Ulrich's previous shove. Swallowing to collect himself and to prevent another round of vomitting, he gripped the armrests and asked, "What the hell is it you want?" His voice was tired, slurred, and failed to show the belligerence rising inside of him.

Of course, Ulrich ignored him. "Milly, where are you?" he called out.

There was moaning from the side of the bed. Ulrich cautiously approached and found Milly... collapsed on the floor. Aelita then chose this the time to enter and rush over to her little sister, and she gripped her stomach as she took in the sight. "Oh my God," she breathed out. She narrowed her eyes then scrunched her face. "Milly, how could you?"

The redhead responded to all the noise by smirking up to her older sister. She seemed gleeful, though not completely there. "Look at me, Aelita," she slurred, a dumbfounded smile taking place in her now washed out features. She then hiccuped. "I have a hot boyfriend, a fancy hotel room, and I'm ingesting champagne! I'm not so little now, huh?"

William then approached. "She's fine," he said, motioning to the nauseous Milly. "We're only relaxing a bit. No need to call the police–"

The next sequence of events happened in a blur. Aelita screamed out and held her fists against her chest as Ulrich grabbed William by the throat and threw him against the wall. The impact caused a loud thud to reverberate throughout the room, and that was when Jim entered and stood to attention. Yumi's eyes widened in surprise and fear for both boys as she witnessed all of it.

William clenched his teeth as he struggled to breathe. He gripped at Ulrich's wrist, trying to withdraw them from around his neck, but, heck, he wasn't moving. "You call _that_ fine?" Ulrich said through his teeth as he looked at William with condescending eyes. "It looks like she's going to be sick, William. Is that fine to you?"

His grip got tighter as he got angrier, and William yelped loudly in pain. Yumi instantly shook out of her daze when she realized that if something didn't break the two up, there was nothing that would stop Ulrich from choking him to death. A bead of sweat rolled down her face, despite the cold temperatures of the room.

"Get off me," William gagged out, still banging at his wrist.

Ulrich didn't listen to him. Turning to look at Aelita, who had now gone pale, he ordered instead, his voice barely managing to keep itself even, "Get Milly out of here. Take her to my room."

The pinkette obliged, wanting anything to leave the scene. She took the keycard from Jim, then proceeded with picking Milly up. Yumi rushed to their side and assisted her. Milly's body was limp and exhausted; one small whiff, and the smell of alcohol coming from the younger girl instantly flooded Yumi's nostrils. She grimaced.

"Aelita, let go of me," Milly whined, then hiccuped. She tried to squirm out of their grasps, but failed due to her pared motor skills that came with her drunken state. "I want to party!" she exclaimed in desperation. "Leave me a–"

"Milly, shut _up_, okay?!" Aelita bursted, her face now red. Her hands were clenched in anger, immensely throwing off her little sister and best friend. Yumi was surprised; Aelita always managed to keep her temper in check. Her current outburst said otherwise.

Milly, shocked, picked herself up. She gripped her stomach and swallowed hard to try and recollect herself. That was when Aelita dragged her out the room, leaving Yumi to stay with Ulrich and William. She realized that she should of followed, but she was afraid that both boys would get into serious trouble.

William was still pulling at Ulrich's wrist. "You never seem to approve of my girlfriends, Ulrich," he choked out. Then, weirdly, the corners of his lips tugged to form a slight smirk, despite his current state. "Your intervening is getting annoying, to tell you the truth. This one loved me just as much as the last."

Ulrich and Yumi widened their eyes simultaneously, both for the same reason. It shocked Yumi that William even dare refer to Ulrich's little sister as just another one of the many girls that had fallen for him. Almost immediately, Ulrich narrowed his eyes at William in pure fury, then threw him to the floor. William sat up and took in deep lungfuls of air.

"Don't you _ever_ talk about Tamiya that way," Ulrich said darkly, looking down at him with pure disdain. He was shaking in anger, his gaze lowered. William then got up and quickly lunged for his shoulders, and Ulrich didn't have the time to back away. Once he got ahold of them, William slammed the brunette against the wall, then repeated the process several times.

Ulrich could feel the bruises growing at the back of his head. His lips were pressed to a hard line from the pain, but he quickly brought back the death glare that he directed towards William. Swiftly, Ulrich then jabbed him in the stomach with his right fist, causing him to release his grasp and bend over in pain. Then following it, he quickly sent a sweep kick to trip over William's legs. Fortunately, his moves succeeded, for William landed on the floor once again with a loud thud.

Yumi and Jim, now knowing that this was necessary, approached the growing fight. Ulrich turned to look at them, then back at William, who was now moaning in pain. "William," Ulrich began, "I would like you to meet Jim. He will be escorting you to our lawyer, and you two will be discussing your _very_ limited options and multiple restraining orders."

That was when Ulrich pulled Jim aside to recite the directions to him. William, still letting what Ulrich just said sink in, swayed back and forth, glancing between the trio. His eyes inevitably stopped on Yumi. He crawled to her feet. "How could you, Yumi?" he said, his voice hinting with that of betrayal. "Don't you remember–Ulrich thinks that he's so much better than us!"

Yumi narrowed her eyes and shook her head at William's desperation to make her turn on Ulrich. "There was never an 'us,'" she retorted bitterly. "Sure, we were and are scholarship students, but that doesn't classify us in the same group."

"We both want connections, don't we?" William then asked. "I know that deep down inside you, you want something more from Lyoko Academy than to just explore your dancing. You want to perform in the best auditoriums, with the best teachers, am I right?" William shook his head, got on his feet, then wagged his finger in Yumi's face. "Tsk tsk, Yumi. You're just like how I am, wanting an internship at Mr. Urgup's bank firm."

Yumi narrowed her eyes. "Don't you _ever_ talk to me about all that crap," she spat. "You lied to me about your true identity–I am _nothing_ like you, William." She pushed him away from her.

Still not giving up, William began to approach again slowly, backing her towards the wall. Yumi continued to glare at his wasted form as he took her arm and whispered slowly into her ear. "Don't you deny it," he said. "These wealthy people don't mean anything to us–only the stuff we can get from them do." William then sneered as the next sentence left his lips. "But sadly.. Tamiya wasn't even worth it."

Intensely appalled, Yumi forcibly withdrew her arm. Something within her snapped at William's gibe of Tamiya, and her temper instantly dissipated. Before she even knew it, she was raising her left leg.

"YAHH!"

And with a swift roundhouse kick, connected it with William's face.

The dark-haired teen was completely knocked out as he fell to the floor for the third time today. Yumi stared at him in disgust as she shook out her leg from the slight pain that came from the impact. She then turned to look at Jim and Ulrich, who were both in shock while gazing at the unconscious body laying before them. Yumi frowned at the pair.

"What?" she asked.

Jim smiled, and turned his attention to Ulrich. "I like her," he said.

* * *

**Author's Note: Like I promised, I shall now reply to your reviews if I haven't already through PM! :DDD**

pokemonluvr0128: Haha, thank you so much! :D I really appreciate it! :))

ponyta-lyoko-warrior: Thank you so much for reading and anticipating the next chapter! :))

Blueblur2000: OMG... You're reading this story too? O_O I really wasn't expecting that! :DD Thank you for sticking with me through everything I've written so far! :)

Just a Reviewer: Thank you so much for writing such detailed and constructive reviews! I really really appreciate it! :DD Ohh, you're making me want to read "Pride & Prejudice" even more now! :)

rosamea: HAHAHA, YEAH! ULUMI FOREVER! :DD I apologize for the cliffhanger, though. LOL.

Bluedog197: It's nice to see that you're better! :) You've powered through it, dude! ;) And aw, I don't think my story did that much in helping you recover. XD But nevertheless, thank you. ((: And you practically predicted this chapter's events with 'dog fight.' Great job! ;)

emotionalwreck24.7: I never realized that it _does_ shockingly resemble "Routine"! I guess I subconsciously made it like that, haha. It's nice to see that you still enjoyed it, though! :DDD

HeiMao.3: Thank you so much, girl! :D And yes, the two are awesome. ;)

animallover55: I missed you! Haha, thanks for coming back! It's nice knowing that you're still enjoying this. :DDD

camilleRomance: I like replying to my reviewers–it's the least I can do to repay them for being so sweet. (: Plus, it's fun! To answer your question–yes, Jérémie and Aelita are now going to prom together. ((: Awesome, right? And look! Jim's in the story now! :DDD

Desert-chan: Haha, okay.. You win, then... Thank you so much for the compliment! :)

Random Person: I'm glad you thought the joke was funny! Haha, I'm not usually humorous, so it's an awesome accomplishment. (;

Yuoaj009: Phew, it's nice to know that the characters are in check. ((: I tried my best, really. Glad you enjoyed the joke!

Kim: Aw, thank you so much! :D

***sigh* I think that's everyone! Gee, this is long. D: Before I go, I'll be sad to say that chapters will most likely come slower after this one; I start school very soon–on the first. D: And what makes it even better; I'm finally going to be a high-schooler! Yippee... Anyway, feel free to leave a review, guys! As always, love you all to death! ;)**


	21. Could've Had

**Well, I am possibly the most jerkish author in the world. I can't believe I made you all wait more than an ENTIRE MONTH for the next chapter. I set up a few rules for myself when I began writing here—No way am I going to take more than two weeks to update, much less an entire month! *sigh* Sorry about that. Just venting for a bit, haha. Luckily enough, my workload from school has lightened enough for me to continue writing. (:**

**Anyway... Here's the next chapter. Happy reading! :D Edits will probably be done later, just letting you all know.**

* * *

_"Not everything's perfect, especially in the beginning. And it's all right to have a little bit of regret every once in a while. It's when you feel it all the time and can't do anything about it... that's when you get into trouble." _

-Sarah Dessen, 'Lock and Key'

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Chapter 20: Could've Had

Ulrich's room took up almost the whole top level of the hotel. The linoleum floor was a dark gray, and so were the walls, except they were a more neutral, lighter shade. It followed the layout of a typical studio apartment, with a curtain and a small set of stairs separating the sleeping area from the living room. Behind the sleeping area was a sliding door with a mirror which led into kitchen and bathroom. Like what Yumi grew used to during her life around the elites, the seats were the usual chaise lounges, and a chandelier decorated the ceiling, serving as the main light source. Taking up the far left wall was a window which let in a panoramic view of Paris, and the whole room followed a calming gray and white color scheme.

As Jim stayed in Milly's hotel room to wait out William's 'fainting spell,' Ulrich and Yumi walked over together to the room that Ulrich bought. The door opened up to the sitting room, and Yumi was the first to enter. "Wow," she breathed out, taking a step inside. "You bought _this_ room?"

Yumi walked over to the plasma flat screen TV and picked up the remote. She examined it for a few seconds, her eyes gleaming with wonder—there were so many controls, and some buttons even led to _exclusive_ channels. Placing it back down on the mahogany coffee table, Yumi turned to look at Ulrich. She rose an eyebrow and said with a condescending tone, "We only needed a key to get up."

"I know, but it was the only room available," Ulrich swiftly replied, collapsing into the chaise lounge with a loud exhale. "I took the first offer they got."

Despite Ulrich's ease, Yumi bit her lip; her teasing mood was suddenly replaced with slight guilt. "...Ulrich, thank you so much for doing all this. But I-" she was suddenly cut off by the absurd thought of paying him back; she knew that she couldn't possibly make the money that would nearly equal how much he spent on everything. Lowering her head, she sighed and sat down next to him. She wanted to help... but she couldn't.

"You were right about me hiding behind my money," Ulrich said, making up for the sudden silence Yumi had caused.

Yumi widened her eyes and looked at him, perplexed. She was horrified. "I take that ba-"

"It only would explain the transportation, the hotel room, and Jim," he cut in. "You were right, Yumi."

"..No, I'm not," she shot back, looking at him with vivacious eyes. To convince Ulrich, she took his hand and grasped it tightly. Ulrich looked down in surprise, but Yumi ignored it. "What you did today was very considerate of you," she continued. "Without you here, I-"

Ulrich's eye twitched as he tried to absorb the pain pulsating through the back of his head. It was as if something was pounding into his skill. Yumi was quick to notice this, for she asked instead, "Is your head okay?"

"Uh, yeah-" Ulrich was cut off by Yumi suddenly crawling up behind him and placing her hands on the bruises. "Yumi, it's not so bad."

"Just let me help, okay?" she shot back irritatedly. She stroked the bruises tenderly out of impulse, frowning at the patches of blue and black skin. "It's the least I can do after all you've done for me," she then added. Having examined them enough, she walked to the kitchen shortly to grab some ice.

Ulrich silently obliged when Yumi emerged once again and placed the ice gently atop the injured area. "Thanks," he muttered, sitting awkwardly as Yumi tried to steady herself on the couch's cushions.

Yumi nodded back and said, "Think you can do this yourself?"

"Huh-? Oh, yeah."

Yumi sat down next to him as Ulrich took the ice pack. She sighed and took the silence as an opportunity to collect her thoughts and reflect on the day. Things happened so quickly—she didn't even have time to think much about it. First, the day began with a 'date' at Ulrich's home, and they kissed—_almost_, of course. Everything was interrupted by Aelita's phone call, and things began to go haywire from there.

Then Yumi dwelled on the 'kiss.' How did she feel, really? All she knew was that she was lured into doing it; in a sense, she really couldn't control herself. Obviously, this meant one thing, but she was too nervous to admit it: she had fallen for him, despite all the times she tried to push him away...The fact hit her like a revelation. She glanced at Ulrich for a second; his gaze was to the ground, and his fists were clenched.

She had to accept that this guy was who she wanted to be with. He was right there next to her.

And, he liked her back. The only question was...Did she blow her chance?

"Milly, go to bed and sleep this off!" Aelita shrieked as Milly whined back, piercing through Yumi's thoughts. Her and Ulrich's heads snapped up in attention, both having been deeply immersed in their own contemplating.

The two scooted away from each other as Aelita approached them after leading Milly to the bedroom. Her hands wrapping around the edges of her hips, she sighed and had her eyes fall upon Yumi and Ulrich. "What happened?" she asked in concern, motioning towards Ulrich's ice pack.

"Nothing too serious, Princess," Ulrich quickly replied, getting up from the couch. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find Jim and deal with a few things... Feel free to stay here for the night—I've got the room booked until morning."

And after endless thanks from Aelita, he left. Yumi watched in disappointment as he walked out the door. Once he was out of sight, Yumi subconsciously sighed, receiving a few suspicious looks from Aelita. She looked back with a defensive glare.

"Okay, I've suspected this before," the pinkette said, quirking an eyebrow. "But _what_ is going on between you and Ulrich?" She smiled mischievously, though her eyes continued to remain innocent with sheer curiosity, like usual. It seemed as if she completely forgot about Milly and was much more interested in what Yumi had to tell. Yumi sighed once again, and began to fill her in on the day. But of course, she left her in the dark about the near kiss.

Aelita pressed a finger against her lip. "Well, after hearing about this, I'm sure of one thing," she said. Her smile grew wider in excitement. "It's _you_ that made Ulrich do all of this. He truly cares about you, Yumi."

"Yeah, right," she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Has it ever crossed your mind that he did this to help _you_, his friend? Or _maybe—_no_, obviously,_ he wanted to get back at William."

Aelita shook her head, her hands now on her hips. "Those were only bonuses, Yumi... Can you just trust me this time?" She rose an eyebrow. "...And you can't deny that you care about him too."

Yumi crossed her arms and shot her a condescending glare. "You've officially gone too far, Aelita. If you don't stop, I won't hesitate to knock you out."

Aelita held her hands up in defense. "Okay, I'm sorry," she replied, though her smile refused to fade. She sat next to Yumi and took both her hands. "Just know that...I ship you two."

Yumi let out a laugh and shook her head. Then with an exchange of smiles, the two embraced, both excited for what lay ahead. Yumi was finally admitting things—her feelings for Ulrich have changed, and because of that, she _was_ beginning to care for him.

* * *

The rest of spring break was uneventful. Little by little, Yumi gradually lost hope in Ulrich; he hadn't sent a text or called since that incident with Milly. What made it worse was that Yumi didn't bother to take the initiative, since she knew that she had caused him enough trouble. Plus, she was hoping that Ulrich wanted to see her again like she wanted to see him.

Time to time, she'd sigh to herself because of her own stupidity. Since when was she the person to wait for a guy?

Meanwhile, Anthea and Waldo Schaeffer drove Milly to Spain to see a strict all-girls private school—complete with a gated fence, 6:00 PM curfew, and bland uniforms. What struck her the most, Aelita suspected, was the lack of boys. Yumi laughed at the thought.

Fortunately, the plan worked, for Milly was scared out of her wits. It showed immensely—once school came back, Yumi noticed that her urge to grow up was toned down a bit.

Besides that, nothing interesting happened at school. For some strange reason, Yumi expected _some_ kind of change after that incident with William, but she knew that no one else but her, Aelita, Ulrich, Milly, and maybe Jérémie knew about the whole thing. So really, there was no reason to be surprised.

Also, the recital was coming in a few weeks. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Yumi's nerves were getting the best of her as time slipped between her fingers. On the brighter side, she was doing quite well at practicing, although Ulrich didn't hand over the music yet. She didn't put much thought into it, though, because she knew Ulrich wasn't the type of person to break his promises.

But paring her spirits even more, Ulrich didn't show up like he usually would during her work shifts, and he was the reason why she was particularly excited for work. It was her last chance in seeing him again...But all hope was in vain. Yumi would've also thought that he didn't at all return to Kadic if it weren't for Aelita. She and Jérémie were still together, and she was able to ask the blonde time to time about his best friend and fill Yumi in.

One night, Aelita came home from a date in an abnormally happy mood. Yumi quirked an eyebrow at her, slightly suspicious about what it was this time. Was it another party? Gathering? Or more importantly—new information on Ulrich?

Unfortunately, it was the former. "So, Jérémie has planned another dinner on Saturday night to celebrate our return from spring break," Aelita announced, unable to hold back her smiling. "And I say we go because it'll be tons of fun!"

"Aelita..."

Her face instantly fell at Yumi's unwillingness. "Yumi, I know you usually hate these things, but I'm sure that after all that has happened, you'll probably enjoy yourself this time," she said. "Plus, I know for sure that Ulrich's going to be there..."

Aelita's voice trailed off teasingly, causing Yumi to glare at her once again. At Aelita's mischievous gaze, she sighed out of annoyance, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She can't bear to fuel Aelita's pride by letting her know that she was going to accept the invitation after the mere mentioning of Ulrich; she wanted to keep her dignity in check!

Yumi crossed her arms. Aelita usually wasn't the one to tease. "You have _got_ to be kidding me. Even if Ulrich's going to be there, that's not enough to make me go." In truth, she _did_ want to go to see Ulrich again, but she didn't want Aelita to know that...

"Alright, if you say so..." Aelita drew her lips to a pout, upset that her idea didn't work. "But I really want you to be there, Yumi.. Jérémie will be upset to find that you won't be there."

Yumi sighed. "Fine, I guess I can suffer through it—But just to make things clear, I'm not going for Ulrich, but for you and Jérémie."

"Alright, whatever you say..."

"Aelita!" Yumi clenched her fists.

"Okay, okay..."

* * *

The restaurant Jérémie chose was just splendid. Elegant and high class, the place was decorated with checkerboard flooring, white tablecloths, rustic mirrors, and yellow-lit crystal chandeliers.

Aelita and Yumi were the first of few to arrive, having looking forward to this for quite a while. The pair, having told the waitress that they were here with Jérémie Belpois, were led to a large table in the back of the building. With a kind exchange of greetings, Aelita sat down next to Jérémie, and Yumi took the seat next to her.

Oh, and forgot to mention—Odd was there, with Jérémie, talking when the two arrived. Yumi was surprised, to say the least, then left speechless.

"...So the lady was ordering t-shirts online, and she asked me if it was going to come out of the printer!" he joked, laughing as soon as the punch line was said. Jérémie bursted with laughter as well, even wiping away a few tears.

"Ah, Yumi, Aelita!" he greeted once they calmed down. Jérémie stood and gave Aelita a kiss on the cheek. He then directed Yumi a smile. He said, "Yumi, I heard from Aelita that this boy—Odd, is it?—was your best friend. I'm not _that_ surprised; he's just so.. _enlightening_ to talk to! I thought it would make you feel a little more comfortable with him here, if that's alright with you."

"I.." The words caught in her throat. Yumi almost cried out tears of joy. Here, was Jérémie, inviting her best friend to eat dinner with them just to please her. Aelita was right—Jérémie was the kindest boy in the world. Sitting down next to Odd, she smiled softly.

"Did you know about this?" Yumi whispered to Aelita.

She shook her head. "No, not at all," the pinkette whispered back.

"And you must be Aelita?" Odd asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Eyeing her, he then directed her a wink. "Well, I gotta admit, you _are_ a cutie.."

Jérémie cleared his throat. "Well, Odd, she's uh-"

"I already have a boyfriend," Aelita cut in, laughing a bit. "He's sitting right next to me, in fact."

"Wha-..?" Jérémie's eyebrows began to twitch with confusion. Beads of sweat literally began to pour down his temples as well. "Aelita-"

Interrupting him, Aelita looped her arm with his. "Yes," she confirmed. "Boyfriend. You don't mind, do you Jérémie?" She batted her lashes innocently.

"No, not at all.. I-"

"Aw, well, ain't that cute, a pair of lovebirds," Odd commented, not disappointed the slightest bit. He chuckled. "Well, I'm not going to get in the way of that. I guess I'll have to try my luck elsewhere..."

Meanwhile, Yumi laughed at the moment. For once, she actually believed that she was going to truly enjoy herself. Meanwhile, as the minutes passed, the rest of the invitees arrived slowly—even including Hervé and Emily— and took their own spots on the table. Then eventually, there were two seats left—the one next to Yumi, and the other across from her.

There was also one person still missing, and that was Ulrich.

But he eventually arrived, and Ulrich kindly apologized for being so late. He rose an eyebrow at Odd's presence, slightly confused, but that was it. He didn't even give a glance at Yumi—more so, anyone else. He just took the seat furthest from her and quietly sat himself down, looking as impassive as ever. Yumi inwardly scowled.

Now that all of them were here, Jérémie took the initiative and opened with a few words. "I'm glad to see everyone back healthy and safe," he declared with a smile. "Greece was fantastic, but I missed being with all of you." Meanwhile, Aelita took Jérémie's hand, and his face reddened a bit. "..Say, let's start with the topic of spring break," he continued. "What were all of you up to?"

Emily was the one to start. Then everything took off from there—they went slowly around the table. Like Yumi expected, everyone went on about vacation homes, foreign countries, and luxury hotels. But most of all, prom fittings were the main topic here.

When it was Ulrich's turn, he merely shrugged and said, "I spent time with my family, practiced with the piano." Yumi's face fell when she noticed that he didn't bother mentioning anything about her, and she was left as confused as ever. She expected he would say something about her—in fact, as he spoke, he looked at Yumi coldly, confirming that he wasn't going to disclose any more details.

Her heart took a stab when she realized that this meant one thing: Everything she and him experienced... was just a fling. Ulrich wasn't the least bit interested in her anymore. The problem was, she didn't feel the same. Quite the opposite, actually. When it was her turn, she decided to keep quiet as well, and just quietly said, "I practiced Pencak Silat, nothing much. But overall, I had a wonderful break."

Sissi laughed. "What? You're joking, right? You didn't get your dress fitted?"

Yumi shook her head. "Actually, I've decided that I'm not going to prom."

"Huh. Figures." Sissi shrugged.

Then conversation picked up again. Ultimately, the rest of the night was disappointing. Yumi was happy that Odd was easily fitting in with absolutely no effort at all. In fact, she expected he would. Seriously—he was just _that_ gregarious to strike up a conversation with anyone. But all she cared about was how cold and distant Ulrich was being, like spring break never happened.

Yumi was right to question herself. She had, officially, blew her chance. It was idiotic of her to believe that Ulrich was actually that forgiving—that he would forget about all the rude comments she had said about him. But no, he wasn't. Yumi knew that it would just be too good to be true for him to actually want to speak to her again.

...Like sand, he slipped right through her fingertips.

* * *

**Author's Note: I know, I know—we're back to the depressing phase. But I promise, things will get better. (: I'm sad to say that a few more chapters, and this story is complete, but that also means a happy ending is near, yeah? Just what will happen? You'll just have to wait and see! ;) I know I probably don't deserve them because it's been a month, but feel free to review, guys! It's ten-thirty PM, there's a Mandarin quiz & biology test I still need to study for, and a little bit of work for school is still needed to be done. XD But, I still devoted my time to this, LOL... Probably not a good idea...**

**Anyway, good night! :) Like always, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! My responses to your reviews from the last chapter will be done once I update again. I'll try not to take a month this time, haha. (:**


	22. End-of-Year Recital

**I'm sorry I took so long to update; school has been giving me so much homework that I absolutely cannot find time to do anything else once I'm finished. D: Anyway, I managed to finally complete this chapter—and under a month, at least. (:**

**I really appreciate you all for sticking with me through all of this! :) Now, enough of me—go ahead and read! :)**

* * *

_"Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself - and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is."_ (**A/N: I forgot this when this chapter was published. Thank you Guest for reminding me! :D)**

-Jim Morrison

* * *

Chapter 21: End-of-Year Recital

After dinner, Aelita graciously considered talking to Jérémie about Ulrich, just to fill Yumi in. Although it was highly tempting, Yumi declined the offer—it was completely useless and idiotic to spend her time worrying over him, especially considering that the recital was in just a few weeks.

Speaking of which, the days quickly passed by as Yumi poured all of her heart and spirit into her practices (Ulrich had given her the music, although rather anonymously, considering she found it on her doorstep one day). Even while she was in class, where she was required to stay in her seat, she would blow off lectures and go through the moves over and over again in her head.

Then, the posters started going up. They were constant reminders that she was the main act of the spring recital, magnifying her anxiousness for the day to come and have the performance done and over with. Meanwhile, everything else was dispelled from her mind: boys, prom, even school itself—anything that would distract her from her dancing.

It was unlike Yumi to care so much about something like this. But this was important to her, especially since her parents and her little brother Hiroki were flying over from Japan just to see her perform. She was glad to find out that they were coming, and it motivated her even more to absolutely nail this. She really wanted to make them proud.

And of course, with the spring recital came prom, which was taking place the weekend after the recital. Fashion shows were hosted in the hallways, showcasing some of the best dresses ever to be designed and worn by her fellow classmates. Yumi didn't pay attention to them, though. She didn't even spare a glance.

Before Yumi knew it, then came the evening of the performance. In her dorm, she examined herself in the floor-length mirror, gazing at her own reflection in sheer wonder. She looked like a completely different person—dressed in her mother's kimono, she resembled a typical Japanese Geisha: graceful like the wind, delicate like a flower...

The epitome of perfection. That was what she needed the performance to be. Perfection.

Yumi pursed her lips. Only the lower half was painted with bright red lipstick, giving it the look of a rosebud. Her face was also painted white. Then she turned her head to marvel at the intricate hairdo Aelita had done for her—her raven hair was decorated with colorful pins, givng it a pop of color.

Then came the kimono. Half was black fabric with white flowers, the other half was red with bright yellow markings. Meanwhile, her obi sash was a bright orange, nicely complementing the rest of the outfit.

"Knock, knock," Aelita's voice sang.

Yumi turned her gaze to the door where Aelita's petite figure stood—smiling, she let out a light laugh as the pinkette slowly approached. Beautiful like always, she was dressed nicely in a strapless bubblegum pink dress with a tiered skirt, a white flower hair-clip also inside her hair.

"You look beautiful," Aelita complimented, her green eyes taking their usual lustrous shine. Creasing her eyebrows, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind Yumi's ear. When that was done, she let out a smile that simulated Yumi's. "There. You're ready!"

"All thanks to you," Yumi said back as Aelita clasped her hands together in pure excitement. "...You want to walk down to the auditorium with me?"

* * *

Lyoko's auditorium was basically a large room in the C-building, able to seat nearly two thousand people. With balcony seats and a large stage, this place was a hotspot for many shows and plays—even used sometimes for productions that Lyoko Academy were not even responsible for!

It was Lyoko tradition for all parents to attend the recital, along with the reception that would take place shortly afterward. Yumi was excited for that because it would be the first time she got to see any of her family in person since she started second semester.

Backstage came with a surprise. There was Ulrich, looking at her impassively with his hands clasped behind his back, letting no one know what he was currently thinking about. At the mere sight of him, Yumi's breathing hitched—she didn't want to see him, not now when she's so close to completing what she had been working on since her return from winter break. She absolutely had to concentrate, and because of his suddenness, anger quickly built inside of her.

Yumi furrowed her brow and pointed towards the exit. "Get out," she demanded.

Ulrich seemed taken aback by Yumi's immediate vehemence, but he quickly recovered from the shock. He sighed, then said in a pleading tone, "Yumi, let me explain-"

"Let you..._explain_?" Yumi cut in, instantly fighting back the urge to let out an amused laugh. "I'm sorry, but that idea seems foreign to me, Ulrich. You never explain _anything_ you do." Yumi never really had time to think about it, but once she said it, she knew it was true. She wasn't the type of person to let her feelings be known, but driven by sheer anxiousness that came with the coming performance, she just chose to let it all out.

Yumi continued, "You have no freaking _idea _what I've been going through for the past few weeks. First, you try to get to know me to the point where you actually admit that you've been crushing on me. Then I finally show my feelings in return—I almost _kissed_ you, for crying out loud. Lastly you blatantly ignore me, and don't even tell me why. Why, Ulrich?"

His face immediately grew downcast. "Well, if you put it that way, it makes me sound like a complete jerk."

Yumi crossed her arms and nodded. "Well, you can't deny that." Then she looked away; that was when she remembered that he _did_ have reason to ignore her. All her slanderous remarks, insults...—everything. "But I'll admit that I'm not that far behind..."

There was a pause. The two exchanged hurtful looks. Yumi took a deep, calming breath to compose herself. "Goodbye, Ulrich," she whispered faintly. Swallowing hard, she looked at him darkly, as if he was a totally different person to her now, nothing like the guy during spring break. "I never want to see you again."

As she began her walk away, Ulrich shook out of his trance and grabbed her wrist. Tightly. "I knew better than to approach you with anything since you had all this going on," he said, motioning around them. "I was afraid that you would get distracted."

Yumi's right eye twitched. Taking a deep breath, she replied, "That's very considerate of you, Ulrich, but why do you choose to approach me _now_? This couldn't wait until after the performance?"

Ulrich sighed deeply. "Well, I came here because.. I wanted to let you know that I'm playing the piece for you tonight," he answered. "Live. For you to dance to."

"I'll have to decline that offer." Yumi straightened her posture, then took a few steps towards the stage.

"You don't have a choice," Ulrich fired back, now smirking. Yumi annoyingly stopped in her steps in response to those words. "They have the piano set up already."

Yumi spun around, sending him a long glare. "Screw you."

"Hey," Ulrich said sternly (once again, no pun intended), "I'm only doing this to be kind!"

Yumi walked up to him. "You don't get it, Ulrich," she said. "This is all about your on and off attitude. I'll be under the assumption that you're doing this because-..." She took a deep breath, and her eyes wandered. "Because..."

Ulrich grabbed Yumi's arm again and pulled her close. Shifting her gaze to the floor, she asked quietly, "How will I know that you won't leave me cold again?"

He cupped Yumi's face inside his hands and shook his head vigorously. "I won't," he assured. "I'm...sure of you this time." He seemed surprised himself when he said it, but firmness took place in his eyes soon after, confirming that he was absolutely certain.

Yumi's breathing became shallow, uneven at those words. Widening her eyes, she then slowly closed them as Ulrich hesitantly leaned into her.

But of course, things were never this easy.

Applause from within the auditorium signaled their cue as the orchestra filed off the stage. Obviously, they just finished the performance, which meant it was now Yumi's turn to shine. She was the last act of the recital, the finale. Yumi took another deep breath, then pulled away.

"Let's go," she said, her mind now somewhere else. She was determined to fight to the finish, and thoughts of her and Ulrich were suddenly gone from her mind.

* * *

Ulrich took his place in the piano chair. Yumi took her place on center stage. The white lights quickly focused on her as she approached, causing her to look up in wonder. That was her cue, and she took her beginning pose.

Yumi's heart raced as the time quickly approached. Everything she had worked on up to this point built up to this moment. She absolutely had to get this done...flawlessly.

With a flourish of his hands, Ulrich ran his fingers over the ivory keys. Then, he nodded to himself as he began playing.

The piece began with a short introduction—Yumi began to dance once that part was finished playing. With Ulrich's support, she felt compelled to try even harder; the music was crisper, clearer when Ulrich played it live in comparison to the CD.

All her energy just rose inside of her as she danced—her uncalmed nerves quickly faded as a result. Yumi smiled to herself as her moves created a beautiful medley with Ulrich's playing—she could just feel it; together, they were creating a beautiful piece of artwork that was simply unforgettable.

Then, a few minutes into the performance, she swiftly unsheathed her tessen fans with the flick of her wrists. The first part consisted of graceful, slightly seductive moves, and now the second was sharp and quick, like a ninja in combat. Her Pencak Silat helped a bit, and it definitely showed through.

She performed the last set of moves like it was a race to the finish. Soon, she was out of breath and was concluding the dance.

The finishing pose consisted of her fans pointing downwards with one leg bent. Her body was facing sideways in relation to the crowd, and her face looked at the audience with a gentle and alluring smile.

Applause from all around erupted, and then came a standing ovation. Yumi broke out of her pose and bowed to the crowd, then motioned for Ulrich to come over.

Intertwining their fingers, they raised up their interlocked hands and bowed. Some students looked surprised at Ulrich's extensive talent and at Yumi's ability to dance, but only barely. In fact, they never applauded—they looked rather apathetic, in fact...But, Yumi didn't care. Neither did Ulrich.

Looking into the audience, Yumi spotted Hiroki and her parents. Hiroki was holding a large bouquet of flowers, and Mr. and Mrs. Ishiyama were applauding, close to tears.

Then, there were Odd, Jeremie, and Aelita sitting not so far along, applauding with large smiles that couldn't help but make Yumi smile as well.

* * *

The reception took place in Allard's hall, just like the welcome back festivities held at the beginning of second semester, except this time, the place was dimly lit with candles to give off a more romantic ambiance.

Yumi changed out of her geisha costume, then put on a beautiful white dress with a high-low skirt and sweetheart neckline. Aelita also put in a white carnation in her hair to match. They both knew it was a bit out of Yumi's usual spectrum of blacks and grays, but other than the black cocktail dress she wore on the day back, the rest of Aelita's supply of dresses were pink in differing hues.

Many adults took their time congratulating and complimenting Yumi for her wondrous performance. She thanked each and every one of them with a genuine smile, but her mind was somewhere else, however. She needed to find her parents, mostly because she hadn't seen them in months.

After thanking her dancing instructor, Yumi walked towards the tables of food, for she knew that was where her father would most likely be. Like she expected, she finally found her parents, but with Ulrich, Jeremie, Hiroki, Odd, and Aelita beside them, surprisingly.

"My heavens, Yumi, where in the world did you get that dress?" her mother asked.

Yumi smiled. "I've missed you, too, Mom. It's Aelita's."

Her father tucked a strand of loose hair behind Yumi's ear, then smiled down at her proudly. "Nevertheless, you look beautiful, my darling," he remarked. "You were fantastic, Yumi!"

Hiroki ran up and handed the flowers over to her, then wrapped his arms around her waist. "I missed you, sis," he mumbled into her dress.

Yumi ruffled his hair with her free hand, then bent down to look into his eyes. "I've missed you, too...brat."

Hiroki punched her arm playfully as Yumi laughed. Then came Ulrich, who gave a kiss on her cheek. "You did great," he said to her, smiling warmly. "Amazing."

All at once, a sense of wanting to come clean overtook Yumi as she felt that the person Ulrich was during spring break wasn't completely gone. Something she wanted desperately to say began nagging her at the back of her mind as she looked at him blankly in response to his words.

"All thanks to you," Yumi said back, her thoughts not yet satisfied. "Your playing was...absolutely beautiful." In truth, she didn't know why she said that. Yumi and Ulrich looked away from each other in response to the mention as blush surfaced their cheeks. Unfortunately, it didn't go unnoticed, because led by Odd, Jeremie, Aelita, and Hiroki snickered, whilst her parents kept their concentration on the food, completely oblivious to the moment.

At their laughs, Ulrich irritatedly snapped his attention towards the eccentric teen. "Drop it, Odd," he demanded. "I don't know you enough to keep myself from knocking you out."

"When's the wedding?" Odd teased back.

Jeremie clasped his hands behind his back and whistled, trying to come off as innocent. Aelita, meanwhile, laughed and looked away.

But, that wasn't the last of it. Hiroki gave a thumbs-up as he then said happily, "Ulrich's just so cool, Yumi! I approve!"

Jeremie, Aelita, and Odd stared quietly at Hiroki, speechless at that sudden comment. Even more laughs erupted from the group after that brief moment, causing the pair's blushes to mercilessly instensify. Then, the three bystanders began to high-five the younger boy for his shamelessness, smirks growing on their faces.

Quietly, as their attention was somewhere else, Yumi grabbed Ulrich by the arm and whispered, "I need to talk to you. Can we go outside?"

"Okay," he answered, a bit annoyed. "Anything to get away from them."

"That isn't it," she mumbled in reply, quiet enough to let it go unheard. "Let's go."

* * *

Minutes after, the pair arrived outside of Allard's hall. Ulrich looked perplexed, but Yumi knew exactly what she wanted to say—and that was surprising, considering that this conversation wasn't meant to end in argument like all their previous ones. In fact, she wanted to make amends, even though Ulrich probably instigated it some time before.

"I'm really sorry, Ulrich," Yumi began. Like she expected, merely saying that didn't satisfy her guilt at all, for there was nothing that could. It made her think back to all the times she apologized before, and that brought her to assume that the words "I'm sorry" would only fall deaf to Ulrich's ears like she hadn't said anything at all.

Ulrich's eyes twitched, for he really didn't want to go through this again. "There is absolutely nothing you need to apologize for," he replied.

Yumi sighed. "What about all those things I've said about you?" she snapped back. "What about all those times I've only rejected your kindness?"

Ulrich took a step closer and looked at her. "You feel awful for those things, I get that," he said, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows. "But that was before. I understand that you don't feel that way about me anymore, and that you've changed. That was the past, Yumi."

Yumi lifted her gaze as those words processed in her mind. She realized that he _was_ right, and his reasons were clear. Nonetheless, she said back, "Forgiveness isn't the point of this conversation...I just wanted to know if we can still be-"

The words caught in her throat as Yumi was left thinking about what she wanted to say. _Friends_ wasn't what she wanted, for she knew how she felt about him. She also didn't want to say _More than friends_ because she wasn't sure if Ulrich still felt that way about her as well. Of course, there was that moment they had before the performance, but she felt that it was driven more by the urgency to get out on stage more than anything else.

Ulrich rose a suspicious eyebrow. A weird thought suddenly came to him. "Yumi, does this possibly have to do with how prom takes place next weekend?" he asked confusedly.

Yumi was caught off guard. "No. _Definitely_ not," she replied. "Why-"

Ulrich didn't let her finish, interrupting her with his own words. "There's something I want you to know," he began, unsmiling. "I have no intention of taking you to prom. So forget about it."

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm sorry I had to stop there. I'll try my best to update as soon as I can—fall break begins this coming Friday, so I'll most likely be able to work on my stories more. (: Now, I would like to thank LyokoWarrior915, Just a Reviewer, Yuoaj009, Random Person, Bluedog197, xSn0wangel, musicqueen124, rosamea, camilleRomance, Guest, BreadLoaf, UnknownStrngr, HeiMao.3, Blublur2000, Kim, pontya-lyoko-warrior, pokemonluvr0128, emotionalwreck24.7, animallover55, aelitalyoko99, and OjoOtaku for reviewing! :D**

**As always, feel free to leave a review! :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and like always, I love you all! :)**


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